MAY 16, 2015
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA (AP)
Crews shut Hollywood gas leak that forced overnight evacuations
At 6 a.m. crews were checking the safety of nearby apartment buildings and authorities said evacuated residents would be able to return home later
in the morning.
Earlier, representatives from Southern California Gas Company and the Los Angeles Fire Department had estimated the leak would be resolved by midnight. Then the time was pushed back to 4 a.m.
As the work continued, six buildings in a four-square-block area remained evacuated, and Cahuenga Boulevard was still closed to traffic between Hollywood Boulevard and Franklin Avenue.
A Los Angeles Department of Water and Power crew struck a 6-inch natural gas line while digging about 11:30 a.m. Saturday at 1776 N. Cahuenga Blvd., on the southwest corner of the intersection of Cahuenga and Yucca Street, Erik Scott of Los Angeles Fire Department said.
The markers showing where the line was located were more than three feet off, DWP spokeswoman Carol Tucker said.
The markers were done by a company called Underground Service Alert, according to Tucker.
Buildings evacuated for precautionary reasons were bounded by Franklin Avenue to the north, Ivar Avenue to the east, Wilcox Avenue to the west and Hollywood Boulevard to the south.
There was no fire and no one was injured, although a woman from one of the affected buildings was evaluated for respiratory discomfort. She did require transportation to a hospital, Scott said.
The odorized natural gas could be smelled by motorists driving by on the nearby 101 Freeway, a witness told City News Service.
Repairing the rupture has been challenging because crews had to dig under pavement to access the line’s valves and the line itself was deeper than at first thought, according to Gas Company spokeswoman Ann Silva said.
Once trenches were dug, they had to be shored up before the flow of gas could be shut off, officials said.
To assist displaced residents, the Red Cross and Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks set up a temporary shelter at the Poinsettia Recreation Center, 7341 Willoughby Ave., where water and snacks were made available, Scott said.
Overnight, evacuees slept on cots as the work continued. Buses were used to shuttle residents to the shelter, he said.
Tucker expressed gratitude to affected residents for being patient during the evacuation.