Gas Line Break Forces Evacuations Along Busy Inglewood Roadway

INGLEWOOD (CBSLA.com) – A contractor for the Southern California Gas Co. accidentally ruptured a natural gas line with a jackhammer Wednesday morning, shutting down a major Inglewood roadway for several hours Wednesday and prompted evacuations in the process.

At 9:24 a.m., a contractor working in the 3300 block of Century Boulevard hit a 3-inch steel gas line with a jackhammer, SoCalGas spokeswoman Melissa Bailey confirmed in an email.

About 50 to 60 people from four businesses located on the block were evacuated, Bailey said.

A Sig Alert was issued and Crenshaw Boulevard was shut down in both directions so SoCalGas crews could stop the leak and conduct repairs, California Highway Patrol reported. The westbound lanes were closed at Crenshaw Boulevard and the eastbound lanes at Club Drive.

The closure was expected to last through about 4 p.m. Drivers were advised to avoid the area. Traffic was severely impacted for customers trying to get to a nearby Costco store.

There were no reported injuries and no service outages, Bailey said.