Gas Leak Forces Sunset Boulevard Evacuation

HOLLYWOOD, CA — A gas line was severed Thursday afternoon near a busy stretch of Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, prompting evacuations.

A water utility crew was doing excavation work about 2:50 p.m. in the 6300 block of De Longpre Avenue, a block south of Sunset Boulevard, when the mishap occurred, according to Brian Humphrey of the Los Angeles Fire Department.

The location is near the popular ArcLight Cinemas.

Workers were evacuated from a nearby seven-story residential building under construction and some other commercial buildings were also cleared of employees and patrons, Humphrey said.

There was a mild odor of gas in the area and De Longpre Avenue was closed between Vine Street and Ivar Avenue as Southern California Gas Co. personnel worked to stop the flow of gas, an effort that took more than four hours, Humphrey said.

There were no service disruptions, a gas company spokeswoman said.

The closed stretch of De Longpre Avenue was reopened to limited local traffic as repair work continued.

City News Service