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CASTAIC, Calif. () — SoCalGas says a geologist has determined that significant land movement near a natural gas pipeline in Castaic likely caused it to rupture over the weekend, according to a preliminary investigation.
Eyewitness News spotted the land movement in the area when the incident happened on Saturday.
The incident was initially reported just before 4:30 p.m. Natural gas leaked from a main gas line just east of the southbound lanes of the 5 Freeway near the intersection of Ridge Route Road and Pine Crest Place.
Fire officials confirmed the leak came from a 34-inch transmission line — a major natural gas pipe that runs near the freeway. Officials explained that the pipe was under extreme pressure, and when it failed, the gas was released forcefully, kicking up dirt and debris, which was visible to drivers in the area.
ORIGINAL REPORT: Natural gas leak causes major disruption on 5 Freeway in Castaic
A natural gas leak in Castaic forced major shutdowns and raised concerns for nearby communities. All lanes of the 5 Freeway have since reopened.
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Crews were able to isolate the damaged section of pipeline, stopping the leak later that night, but many people in nearby communities smelled the gas. First responders say there is no health risk in the area.
Almost 15,000 homes were told to shelter in place for several hours.
SoCalGas said fewer than five non-residential natural gas customers are experiencing outages as a result of the break.
Crews continued working on repairs on Monday.
That area in Castaic is known to have potential for slides.
A map from the California Geological Survey shows highlighted slide danger zones in the same location as Saturday’s land movement, which happened near Ridge Route Road, shutting down traffic on the busy 5 Freeway in both directions for hours.
There have been other big slides in the same area that also impacted the 5 Freeway.
A large slide at the top of the Castaic Grade happened on Jan. 14, 2023. It led to a long-term hill stabilization project and reduced the northbound lanes for months.
Another slide happened just months later, on March 30, 2023. This time, a landslide beneath the southbound lanes caused traffic lanes to collapse as the slide kept getting bigger. Cal Trans eventually drove huge metal girders into the Earth so the slide could be stabilized and the southbound freeway lanes could be rebuilt.
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