FULLERTON : Street Closed After Gas Line Rupture
A natural gas pipeline was ruptured by a road construction crew Monday, forcing police to close a mile-long stretch of Euclid Street.
The accident occurred at 9:06 a.m. when a backhoe operated by an Aman Bros. Construction Co.employee struck the 6-inch-wide line, city spokeswoman Sylvia Palmer said. Aman Bros., a Covina-based firm, had been hired by the city to widen that stretch of Euclid.
Southern California Gas Co. workers dressed in fire-resistant suits and oxygen masks were able to cap the leak at 11:20 a.m. Three Fullerton city fire trucks and crews also were called in case a fire broke out.
The rupture occurred on a residential stretch of Euclid just north of Rodeo Road. Motorists were rerouted from Euclid between Malvern Avenue and Bastanchury Road for three hours.
Bob Perry, the gas company’s district manager, said natural gas is lighter than air and dissipates quickly as it escapes, making an evacuation unnecessary.
“There is some danger of explosion if the gas comes in contact with an ignition source, but because there is no wind . . . that is helping the gas disperse,” Perry said. “If this were downtown L.A. with tall buildings to keep the gas in place, there would need to be an evacuation. But not here.”
The rupture interrupted gas service to four homes.
Perry said Aman Bros. might be billed for repairing the leak. An Aman Bros. spokesman said he was unaware of the incident and could not comment.
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.
