An underground gas line rupture possibly caused by a landslide shut down all lanes of the Golden State (5) Freeway in the Castaic area Saturday as crews worked to turn off the gas, which was accomplished nearly four hours later.
The initial call of the ruptured gas line and possible explosion came about by 4:20 p.m. Saturday on a hill above the Golden State Freeway just north of Lake Hughes Road, California Highway Patrol Officer M. Curtiss told City News Service.
The raw egg smell of natural gas was reported to the Los Angeles Fire Department from residents in Granada Hills, Porter Ranch and Sylmar. LAFD spokeswoman Jennifer Middleton relayed that the L.A. County Fire Department confirmed the gas line rupture.
Video from the scene showed a large cloud of debris floating toward the freeway and a loud “whoosh” sound could be heard.
Area resident Philip Perry told KeyNews that he heard an explosion and his house shook. He heard a sound similar to a jet engine when he went outside and saw a cloud.
The CHP issued a SigAlert shutting down both sides of the Golden State Freeway, with northbound traffic diverted to state Route 126 and southbound traffic diverted to Pearblossom Highway (state Route 138), Curtiss said.
A West Los Angeles resident driving home from a holiday excursion on the southbound Golden State Freeway described to City News Service the traffic chaos that ensued as a result of the closures. “I was somewhere around Buttonwillow (in the San Joaquin Valley) when the GPS started flipping out and showing all sorts of red … road closures on southbound 5 — like a four-hour drive and alternate routes,” said Paul Vercammen, who described a circuitous journey that took his family along the 58 Freeway through off-the-beaten-path locations in Kern County including Mojave, Arvin and past the Bakersfield National Cemetery.
The longtime Southland resident said he was familiar with the roadways and had driven them before. “It seemed like the safest route,” he said, “and then, it was smooth sailing after that.”
However, Vercammen called the congestion a “traffic nightmare,” adding, that he felt “awful for people who got stuck.”
All lanes were reopened about 8:50 p.m.
SoCal Gas reported just before 8 p.m. that the gas had been shut down to the pipeline.
“SoCalGas crews have safely isolated the damaged section of pipeline, stopping the leak,” spokeswoman Erica Berardi said. “The cause of the break has not been determined. Once remaining natural gas in the damaged pipeline section is safely vented, crews will assess the damage and make repairs to the pipeline.”
There was no risk to the public, she said. People in the area and nearby communities might still smell a natural gas odor.
“There are no indications, at this time, of an ignition or explosion,” Berardi said. “However, significant land movement has been observed near the break.”
Fewer than five non-residential customers were experiencing outages due to the break, Berardi said.
Meanwhile, L.A. County Fire Department Capt. Brian Kight said about 14,900 area residents should still shelter in place with windows and doors closed while gas in the area dissipated.