Seven Homes Remain Red-Tagged In Newport Beach Due To Methane Leak

NEWPORT BEACH, CA — Seven homes in Newport Beach remained under evacuation orders Friday as crews worked to control a methane leak caused by oil seeping from an abandoned well beneath one of the affected properties.

A local emergency was declared by the City of Newport Beach on Wednesday due to the methane leak believed to be caused by the well beneath the home at 3606 Marcus Ave.

That property and six others were all red-tagged by the city, deeming them temporarily uninhabitable.

Newport Beach Fire Chief Jeff Boylers told The Orange County Register that the home the leak is coming from has been dealing with oil seepage for the past few months.

According to the newspaper, the well is about 800 feet deep and was capped in the 1920s. It was not clear what caused it to begin leaking.

The result, however, was a pressurized release of methane and hydrogen sulfide, raising the risk of a possible explosion of the gas is ignited in any way.

City crews installed pipes on Thursday designed to vent the gas and relieve the pressure building below ground.

Boyles told The Register that if the venting process is successful, the residents would likely be permitted to return. It was unclear when that determination would be made.

"Until we get that pressure relieved, we don't feel comfortable letting the residents back in," he told the paper. "It's like a volcano basically. We've never experienced this before."

There were no immediate reports of any injuries.

City News Service contributed to this report.