Crews continued to assess the damage and develop repair plans Monday for the gas pipeline that ruptured over the weekend shutting down the Golden State (5) Freeway for nearly four hours while crews worked to turn off the gas.
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"The cause of the break is under investigation," said Southern California Gas in a statement. However, significant land movement has been observed at the site of the break, and a preliminary inspection of the area by a geologist has determined this was the most likely cause of the pipeline break.
Currently, fewer than 5 non-residential natural gas customers are experiencing outages as a result of the break, according to SoCalGas.
The initial call came at 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.
A shelter-in-place order was issued and the closure snarled freeway traffic for hours.
"It took 5 hours to get off and exit to safety," motorist @Lauraoiq noted on X.
All lanes reopened at 8:50 p.m. The shelter-in-place order was lifted as of 10 p.m.
SoCalGas reported just before 8 p.m. that gas to the pipeline had been shut down.
"SoCalGas crews have safely isolated the damaged section of pipeline, stopping the leak," Berardi said in a 10:07 p.m. Saturday update. "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. But people nearby might still smell a natural gas odor.
"There are no indications, at this time, of an ignition or explosion," she said. "However, significant land movement has been observed near the break."
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 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 Southern California 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."
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