A construction crew laying out a fiber optic line in East Los Angeles Friday ruptured an underground pipeline spilling out at least 2,400 gallons of crude oil onto an intersection.
Firefighters were dispatched at 3:19 a.m. Friday to the area of East Cesar Chavez and North Eastern avenues, according to a Los Angeles County Fire Department public information officer, who added that the crude oil was projecting through the asphalt at the intersection.
The “pipeline operator” was notified of the rupture and shut down the flow within 30 minutes of being notified, she said. The shut-off valve was near Dodger Stadium.
The 16-inch line extends from Kern County to the Port of Long Beach, she said, adding it will “take days” to repair the line. It was unclear how long the clean up might take.
No injuries were reported.
“Petroleum product entered storm drains and was released into the Los Angeles River. Investigation into the cause and volume is ongoing,” said California Department of Fish and Wildlife spokesman Eric Laughlin. “OSPR (Office of Spill Prevention and Response) personnel on scene include wildlife officers, environmental scientists and oil spill prevention specialists.”
“The Oiled Wildlife Care Network (OWCN) has been notified and is on standby for wildlife response,” Laughlin said. “No observations of oiled wildlife have been reported at this time.”
The California Highway Patrol had issued a SigAlert for the closure of the area near East Cesar Chavez and Eastern avenues at 4:25 a.m and the SigAlert is “active until further notice,” the CHP stated.