A natural gas line ruptured north of Los Angeles on the afternoon of Saturday Dec. 27, shutting down portions of Interstate 5, a heavily trafficked north-south route.
The freeway was closed indefinitely, and a shelter-in-place was in effect in parts of northern Los Angeles County near Castaic, California, officials said.
The California Department of Transportation's local district said the hazmat incident fully closed Interstate 5 between S.R. 138 and S.R. 126. "AVOID THE AREA, seek alternate routes," Caltrans said in anX post. "No estimated time of reopening."
From a short-lived tornado warning to flooding, Southern Californians' Christmas Eve is being shaped by the weather amid an atmospheric river that officials have warned about for days.People sit on the roof of a building while they are stranded during floods partially submerging the surrounding area in the aftermath of torrential rains, in San Bernardino County, California, U.S. December 24, 2025 in this screengrab obtained from a social media video." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
Strong atmospheric river brings floods, snow, high winds to California
From a short-lived tornado warning to flooding,Southern Californians' Christmas Eve is being shaped by the weather amid an atmospheric riverthat officials have warned about for days.People sit on the roof of a building while they are stranded during floods partially submerging the surrounding area in the aftermath of torrential rains, in San Bernardino County, California, U.S. December 24, 2025 in this screengrab obtained from a social media video.
News outlets reported that the Los Angeles County Fire Department received multiple reports of an explosion at around 4:20 p.m. local time.
The cause of the leak wasn't immediately known.
Gov. Gavin Newsom's office saidhe had been briefed on the commercial pipeline rupture and state emergency services officials were responding to the scene.
Nearby communities instituted a shelter-in-place order.County officials ordered residentsto close all doors, windows and vents, and to shut of HVAC systems.
The smell from the natural gas leak reached miles away in the San Fernando Valley, within Los Angeles city limits, according to acity fire department alert.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Interstate 5 closed near Los Angeles due to gas line rupture
