4 Killed in Crash, Pipeline Ruptures as Storm Pelts State

The first of an expected trio of storms pelted California on Saturday with heavy rain, which may have contributed to a head-on collision that left four dead in San Bernardino County and ruptured a pipeline in Ventura County that spewed thousands of gallons of crude oil into the ocean.

The fast-moving weather system also dumped up to a foot of snow in much of the Sierra and threatened levees and homes in Northern California. The state’s great rivers--the American, Sacramento and San Joaquin, were running high--but water officials said the flows were well-controlled.

In the southern part of the state, rainfall was heavier than expected--an inch and more in some areas. On a rain-slicked mountain road near the ski resort of Wrightwood, the four victims of a head-on crash on California 138 were pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said. Eight others were injured, four of them seriously, and were taken to local hospitals.

The names were not released. The afternoon crash forced officials to close California 138, a two-lane road connecting San Bernardino to the popular resort town, well into the night.

Although investigators had not determined the exact cause of the accident, wet weather appeared to have played a role, said California Highway Patrol spokeswoman Arlene Brannon.

The rain caused scores of traffic tie-ups and fender-benders on other Southland highways--but no other injuries or fatalities were reported. The downpour also caused several small mudslides in Los Angeles County that damaged at least two homes, authorities said.

In Ventura County, a pipeline ruptured when a rain-soaked hillside gave way, sending about 8,000 gallons of crude oil flowing into the Pacific and severing a natural gas line that sparked a spectacular 100-foot flame.

The clean-burning fire, in a remote oil-producing region of the county, was large enough to be seen from Oxnard to Santa Paula. The afternoon explosion sent earthquake-like tremors rumbling through the surrounding area, witnesses said.

“I thought it was an earthquake first. Then we looked out and thought a jet went into the mountain,” said Randy Medina, who was surfing at nearby Oxnard Shore.

Shortly after the gas break was discovered, authorities noticed oil flowing into the water near the Ventura Pier. Officials quickly shut down the 12-inch pipeline, but not before the black goo stained about one-eighth of a mile of coastline and two nearby jetties.

As residents across the state were battling the bad weather, U.S. Labor Secretary Alexis Herman announced a federal emergency grant of as much as $25 million to help Californians whose jobs have been lost or scaled back because of the season’s flooding.

The grant will allow up to 2,000 workers to be hired for $6- to $10-an-hour jobs cleaning up public or private nonprofit facilities and property damaged in storms.

“We’re committed to doing everything possible to help the families whose lives and livelihoods are being overturned by these devastating floods,” Herman told reporters in San Francisco.

In rain-ravaged Baja California, where at least 13 people died last week in flash floods and mudslides, Tijuana officials said about half a dozen homes were damaged by mudslides Saturday and that an undetermined number of other houses were evacuated. No fatalities were reported.

Meanwhile, California flood officials warned that despite periodic breaks in the weather, the storm pattern is here to stay for a while.

“We expect to have a two-month continuation of this type of weather, so we’re prepared to hunker down,” said James Bailey of the state flood center.

Weather forecasters were sticking by their predictions of another storm hitting the state Monday and the third of the series--and possibly the strongest--arriving sometime Thursday.

State officials updated their damage tallies Saturday, estimating the loss so far this season at $300 million in 22 of the 31 counties that Gov. Pete Wilson has declared disaster areas. Damage estimates for the others were not available.

The season’s storms have claimed at least 10 lives and sent 760 people to 60 shelters throughout the state. On Saturday, 10 shelters remained open, mainly in the north.

The state Department of Corrections reported that it had deployed about 1,600 inmates to help with sandbagging, debris removal and other work since the storms began. The California National Guard’s Crisis Action Center remained activated, with 1,175 soldiers deployed throughout the state. The state Office of Emergency Services has five mobilization centers operating in Northern California, and the California Conservation Corps has 23 crews working on levee reinforcement and other flood-control tasks.

Saturday’s storm arrived in the Southland a little earlier than expected, striking Ventura County at daybreak and moving into Los Angeles and Orange counties soon after.

“Fortunately, it’s moving pretty fast,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Bruce Rockwell in Oxnard. “We’ll probably have a 48-hour break.”

Authorities reported minor flooding in several low-lying areas of Camarillo, Ojai, Fillmore and Oxnard, and a handful of minor thoroughfares were temporarily closed. But there were few accidents and no serious injuries.

In Los Angeles County, emergency officials kept wary eyes on mudslide-prone hillsides above Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, and city crews placed massive tarps on the ground in the San Fernando Valley community of West Hills, where five homes were damaged by mudslides Friday.

Workers also tried to shore up a sodden slope in the Hollywood Hills, where rock and mud coursed into the backyard of a home Saturday morning.

In Orange County, the rain caused scores of crashes, closed some roadways for a short time and forced organizers of Dana Point’s annual Festival of Whales to postpone the opening day parade.

Late Saturday, authorities temporarily suspended their search for a swimmer missing since the afternoon off the coast of Calafia Beach near San Clemente. It was unclear why the swimmer, identified only as a 25-year-old tourist, went into the ocean.

Times staff writers Miguel Bustillo, Scott Martelle, T. Christian Miller and Times wire services contributed to this story.