Gas Line Rupture Forces Evacuation of 400
Up to 400 people were evacuated from a Whittier neighborhood Thursday after a heavy equipment operator ran over and ruptured a pipeline, causing natural gas to leak for more than four hours.
The eight-inch diameter steel line broke open on the northeast corner of Whittier Boulevard and Magnolia Avenue, allowing the gas--pressurized to 160 pounds per square inch--to escape, said Lt. Don Hannah of the Whittier Police Department. Among the 300 to 400 evacuees were 100 children from a preschool in the area. The 9 a.m. accident and leak also forced the closure of Whittier Boulevard between Hadley and Mar Vista streets, Hannah said.
A private demolition crew was doing a city redevelopment project for Urbatec, the corporation that owns the property. After the accident, Southern California Gas Co. crews came out to cap the flow, but it was 1:30 p.m. before they crimped the line, Hannah said.
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