Oil Pipeline Leak Forces Evacuation
More than 200 gallons of crude oil leaked from an underground pipeline, formed a pool on a Valencia street and forced the temporary evacuation of a nearby shopping center Friday, authorities said.
The oil was spotted seeping from the ground about 11 a.m. by a passer-by in the 25900 block of McBean Parkway, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Bob Nimtz said. The oil, leaking from a pipeline buried next to the road, began flowing toward a storm drain, officials said.
Firefighters got the operator of a bulldozer working at a nearby construction site to push a load of sand onto the street, creating a dike to stop the oil, officials said.
About 100 customers were temporarily evacuated from nearby Granary Square Shopping Center as a precaution, officials said.
A small amount of oil went down the drain, but an estimated 200 to 300 gallons stopped at the makeshift dike, forming a lane-wide pool, before Mobil Oil Co. employees shut off the pipeline and cleaned up the spill. Fire officials said it was unclear what oil company owned the pipeline.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
