Gas leak in Desert Hot Springs prompts shelter-in-place order for nearby residents
A gas leak in a Desert Hot Springs neighborhood led to a shelter-in-place order for residents for more two hours Wednesday morning.
The leak occurred along the 11000 block of Bald Eagle Lane in Desert Hot Springs, near Desert Hot Springs High School. The school was not affected by the gas leak.
Fire officials said they were first notified of the "major gas leak" at around 10:20 a.m. Residents of the area were immediately asked to shelter in place. no homes were evacuated at this time.
Desert Hot Springs Police have been called to the scene to help with traffic control. SoCalGas is on scene and is working to fix the leak.
Officials originally projected the leak would be fixed by 11 a.m., however, SoCalGas crews were able to control the leak at 12:41 p.m. Work continues on five homes that were affected by an outage, however, the shelter in place order was lifted.
Natural Gas Line Rupture in Desert Hot Springs RPT @ 10:21 AM - 11300 Blk Bald Eagle Ln. Firefighters are on scene along w/ @socalgas of a natural gas line strike. Several area homes are sheltering in place while @socalgas makes repairs - about 40 mins. #EagleIC pic.twitter.com/IkqC5mEBqR
— CAL FIRE/Riverside County Fire Department (@CALFIRERRU) November 3, 2021
Crews were able to determine that it was caused by a "construction accident." A neighbor told News Channel 3 that they saw a construction crew hit a gas line on a house under construction, causing the leak.
SoCalGas asks that you call 811 before you begin to dig to help avoid hazards and prevent pipeline damage.
Visit: https://www.socalgas.com/stay-safe/safety-and-prevention/digging-and-yard-safety to learn more about digging and yard safety