Residents of seven houses on Newport Beach's Balboa Peninsula were cleared to go home Friday as crews repaired a methane leak caused by oil seeping from an abandoned well beneath one of the affected properties.
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According to the city, a local emergency was declared on Wednesday due to the methane leak believed to have been caused by the well beneath the home at 3606 Marcus Ave. That property and six others were all red-tagged, declaring them temporarily uninhabitable.
The city declared a local emergency on Wednesday due to the methane leak, and the evacuation orders were issued Thursday.
By Friday, the crews installed a ventilation system to safely release methane gas into the air, city spokesman John Pope said. A ground-level system was also installed to vent any more gas that accumulates, Pope added.
"We were dealing with a buildup of flammable and toxic gases beneath the structure, which required highly controlled venting efforts," said Newport Beach Fire Chief Jeff Boyles. "Our team worked methodically to address the hazard and ensure conditions are safe for neighboring homes. The health and safety of our residents continue to guide every step of this response."
Boyles told The Orange County Register the home above the abandoned well has been dealing with oil seepage for the past few months. He said the well is about 800 feet deep, and it was capped in the 1920s. It's unclear what caused it to begin leaking.
The result, however, was a pressurized release of methane and hydrogen sulfide, raising the risk of a possible explosion of the gas is ignited in any way.
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