5 Freeway in Castaic reopens after closure caused by ruptured natural gas line

A large high-pressure natural gas line ruptured Saturday in Castaic, north of Santa Clarita,  prompting the California Highway Patrol to temporarily halt all traffic on the 5 Freeway.

Lanes reopened at approximately 8:45 p.m., a representative from the CHP confirmed.

All lanes on the 5 Freeway were closed earlier in the evening and drivers were redirected to either State Route 126 or State Route 138, said a post on X from the CHP.

The initial call of the ruptured gas line  came about 4:20 p.m. on a hill above the Golden State (5) Freeway just north of Lake Hughes Road, California Highway Patrol Officer M. Curtiss told City News Service.

Video from the scene showed a large cloud of debris floating toward the freeway and a loud whoosh sound could be heard.

The Los Angeles County Fire Department described the affected pipeline as large and being a high-pressure natural gas main line. By 7:20 p.m., the gas flow in the line had been stopped, though there was still a residual smell of gas in the area, County Fire Capt. Brian Kight said.

SoCal Gas confirmed the gas flow had been stopped.

“SoCalGas crews have safely isolated the damaged section of pipeline, stopping the leak,” spokeswoman Erica Berardi said. “The cause of the break has not been determined. Once remaining natural gas in the damaged pipeline section is safely vented, crews will assess the damage and make repairs to the pipeline.”

Area resident Philip Perry told Key News Network that he heard an explosion and his house shook. He heard a sound similar to a jet engine when he went outside and saw a cloud.

The raw egg smell of natural gas was reported to the Los Angeles Fire Department from residents in Granada Hills, Porter Ranch and Sylmar. LAFD spokeswoman Jennifer Middleton relayed that the Los Angeles County Fire Department confirmed the gas line rupture.

There was no immediate threat in the city of Los Angeles, Middleton said.

The cause of the rupture was unclear, said Kight. But reports from the scene suggested there was a large landslide before or after the rupture.

Residents in the nearby area were directed to shelter in place, no injuries were immediately reported. The shelter in place order was lifted by 10:05 p.m.

A West Los Angeles resident driving home from a holiday excursion on the southbound Golden State Freeway described to City News Service the traffic chaos that ensued as a result of the closures.

“I was somewhere around Buttonwillow (in the San Joaquin Valley) when the GPS started flipping out and showing all sorts of red … road closures on southbound 5 — like a four-hour drive and alternate routes,” said Paul Vercammen, who described a circuitous journey that took his family along the 58 Freeway through off-the-beaten-path locations in Kern County including Mojave, Arvin and past the Bakersfield National Cemetery.

The longtime Southern California resident said he was familiar with the roadways and had driven them before. “It seemed like the safest route,” he said, “and then, it was smooth sailing after that.”

However, Vercammen called the congestion a “traffic nightmare,” adding, that he felt “awful for people who got stuck.”