La Jolla
Fifty residents in the 300 block of Dunemere Drive in La Jolla were evacuated from their homes for about an hour Wednesday after a natural gas line was severed by a concrete saw used by workers from a cable television company, fire officials said.
There were no injuries in the noonday accident, which San Diego Gas & Electric officials blamed on previous tampering with the line.
The line had been tampered with, as it was buried only half an inch deep instead of 18 inches, said Karen Duncan, SDG&E; spokeswoman.
An investigation of recent construction work in the area should determine who stumbled across the SDG&E; line and apparently tried to put it back without reporting it to the utility, Duncan said.
“They apparently just covered it with concrete and left it,” she added.
The cable company was not at fault because of the previous tampering, Duncan said.
Four homes lost gas service for nearly four hours.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
