The 5 Freeway north of Los Angeles was closed for hours and a shelter-in-place order was issued to more than 19,000 residents in Castaic after a natural gas line ruptured on Saturday afternoon. L.A. County Fire Department officials say that they received reports of an explosion in the area just north of North Park Elementary School, near Ridge Route Road and Pine Crest Place at around 4:20 p.m., which was then followed by reports of a strong gas smell. The 5 Freeway is a major artery that links Southern California to the rest of the state. It runs north all the way through Oregon and Washington to Canada.
It’s unclear what caused the gas line, which is also referred to as a 600 psi “transmission gas line,” to rupture, but Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputies told CBS Los Angeles that it was possibly caused by a mudslide.
Los Angeles County Fire Captain Brian Knight said that first responders were waiting on SoCalGas personnel to shut off the 34-inch main gas line so they could begin their investigation. It has since been mitigated by the gas company, but some residual gas was expected to continue seeping out for some time, Knight said.
