Street Closed by Fire From Underground Gas Leak
- Share via
A small fire caused by an underground gas leak burned in a manhole Wednesday, forcing firefighters to close a street to traffic for about two hours.
The fire started about 9:15 a.m. on the eastern end of Iowa Street near Gisler Avenue and was extinguished by noon by Southern California Gas Co. workers, who clamped both ends of the plastic pipeline, Fire Capt. Don Swanson said.
The fire was contained in the manhole. No structures or vehicles were threatened.
The fire was reported by construction workers who were patching holes in Iowa Street with asphalt, Swanson said.
More From the Los Angeles Times
Podcasts
Why is California’s wildfire strategy wrong for SoCal? After massive blazes, the state changed its approach, but it only works for the north. Listen to find out what officials are doing wrong — and the surprising strategy they’re turning to next.
In 1990, UCLA student Ronald Baker was murdered in a railway tunnel. While his occult interests fueled “Satanic Panic” rumors, police found his killers knew him well — one had even carried his casket.
A gunman targeted an elementary school in Rancho Tehama after a deadly rampage. The media barely covered it. Five years later, an L.A. Times reporter wants to know why.
