Gas Leak Forces Evacuation in Oxnard

More than 30 Oxnard residents were evacuated from their homes early Tuesday after a gas pipeline burst as workers cut the fuel supply to a house tented for fumigation.

Residents were rousted from their beds, breakfast tables and showers when the pipeline broke just after 8:30 a.m. at a house in the 1500 block of Morris Street.

There were no injuries.

“We were all ready to fumigate, but then we just smelled the gas and got out,” said Rogelio Gonzales, 50, after fleeing the house with the gas leak. “How could I not be afraid? One spark and we are all gone.”

Gonzales said his family has lived in rented house for a decade.

Vincent Guerrero, an employee with Oxnard-based Tri-Fume Inc., said he was attempting to shut off the house’s gas supply when the valve shot from the gas meter. Smelling fumes, Guerrero said he immediately began alerting neighbors.

“I went to shut off the gas and I heard this loud spurt of gas,” he said. “I had two of my helpers with me and we started knocking on people’s doors. I was concerned for everybody’s safety.”

Oxnard fire officials said that corrosion and rust built up on the section of pipe leading to the house may have caused a break.

But Southern California Gas Co. officials later inspected the pipes and found no signs of corrosion or other damage, said Joe Chow, a spokesman for company.

Instead of shutting off the gas, Chow said Guerrero might have mistakenly opened up the gas line, causing the valve to pop off and leading to pressure that caused a break in the line.

Chow said Guerrero told inspectors he attempted to reattach the valve but was unsuccessful. In a few seconds, the pressure on the metal pipeline went from less than 1 pound per square inch to at least 40 pounds, Chow said. A loud hissing sound could be heard as the highly flammable natural gas shot into the air.

Alerted by Guerrero and others about the gas leak, residents quickly filed into the street.

Guerrero said he’s well-acquainted with the gas meters and lines for homes and apartment buildings. He said it’s not uncommon for him and his crew to turn off the gas at half a dozen homes a day.

He said natural gas is routinely shut off during fumigation because a chemical released during the process can permanently fog windows and mirrors if it mixes with the fuel.

While Guerrero spoke with gas company officials, residents sipped coffee and waited in curlers, pajamas or work clothes for firefighters to declare the area safe. Shortly after 10 a.m., yellow tape that had cordoned off 10 homes on both sides of the street was removed, and residents were allowed to return.

The incident occurred just hours after an explosion in Torrance leveled a home tented for fumigation. The explosion damaged at least 80 homes and injured 10 people. The cause was unknown.

Oxnard Fire Capt. Craig Freeman said he and other members of his truck company were watching television news reports of the Torrance explosion when the call came in.

“Most of us have been on enough explosions so we know what can happen,” said Freeman, who has been a firefighter for 21 years.

“It’s one of the realities of the job.”