CASTAIC, Calif. (KABC) — A natural gas leak near the 5 Freeway in Castaic on Saturday forced major shutdowns and raised concerns for nearby communities.
Natural gas leaked from a main gas line in Castaic, just east of the southbound lanes of the 5 Freeway near the intersection of Ridge Route Road and Pine Crest Place. It was first reported around 4:20 p.m.
The sight and strong smell prompted safety concerns and shut down the 5 Freeway in both directions for hours.
By nightfall, the strong smell of natural gas in the air had mostly subsided. But what hadn’t changed was the huge first responder presence at the scene — firefighters, hazmat teams and a command post were all in the area as a precaution.
The area remained restricted as crews continued working, even though officials said the immediate danger had passed.
Fire officials confirmed the leak came from a 34-inch transmission line — a major natural gas pipe that runs near the 5 Freeway.
They say there was no explosion, even though many people thought that’s what they were seeing or feeling.
Officials explained that the pipe was under extreme pressure, and when it failed, the gas was released forcefully, which is what caused such a dramatic response.
The gas has since been shut off, and officials say there is no longer a danger to the public. No injuries have been reported.
The 5 Freeway — which was shut down for hours, causing major traffic delays for drivers in the area — has since reopened.
A shelter-in-place order remains in effect for the immediate area as a precaution while crews continue working on a permanent fix. That includes Charley Canyon, Hillcrest and Wayside.
Fire officials say winds pushed the gas south, which is why people miles away in areas like Santa Clarita reported a strong smell. Now that the gas is off, they expect the smell to continue to fade.
All of this happened just days after Christmas, one of the busiest travel periods of the year, leading to hours of gridlock and major backups on the 5 Freeway before it reopened.
Los Angeles County fire officials stressed that there is no danger to the public.
“Because of the potential, you know, we had a potential of an explosion. That’s when we said, ‘Shut down all immediate freeways.’ Our hazmat team is actually testing the area and the surrounding area. They’re doing more tests at the site just to make sure. But right now, they got one part per million, which is basically like a single-family house with a gas leak, so in other words, we’re safe,” Capt. Brian Knight said.
Aerial video from above the scene showed what appeared to be land movement near the gas leak, but Knight says that has been completely ruled out. He said if there had been any land movement or slope failure, investigators would have known that right away.
Any rumbling or shaking people might have felt would make sense given just how intense the pressure was inside that pipe when it failed, Knight said.
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