Gas Leak Outside Los Angeles Shuts Down 405, Forces Thousands Inside
A ruptured gas main shuttered the 405 freeway and forced thousands to shelter indoors, exposing the hidden dangers beneath L.A.’s concrete arteries.
Commuters Flee as Invisible Fumes Rise Over the Sepulveda Pass
Wednesday’s dawn commute turned into a scene from a disaster film when a ruptured 16-inch gas main began belching methane across the 405 near the Skirball Center, closing the nation’s busiest freeway corridor and sending a sour-chemical smell drifting toward the Pacific.
‘It Smelled Like Someone Left Every Stove On’
By 6:15 a.m., traffic cameras showed a ghost highway—no honking, no taillights, just heat shimmer and the faint hiss of escaping gas. Within minutes, the Los Angeles Fire Department elevated the incident to a Level-2 hazmat response, shutting both directions of the 405 between the 101 and the 10.
“We could hear it before we saw it,” said Bel-Air resident Carla Ng, who was walking her golden retriever when the air turned metallic. “It sounded like a jet that wouldn’t leave.”
Shelter-in-Place for 3,200 Homes
Push alerts from the city’s emergency management office arrived at 6:42 a.m., ordering residents within a half-mile radius to lock windows, shut off air-conditioning, and stay indoors. By 8 a.m., the Red Cross had opened an evacuation center at the Westwood Recreation Center, though most neighbors opted to hunker down, trading updates on Nextdoor and WhatsApp.
- Gas flow was stemmed by 10:47 a.m., according to SoCalGas.
- No injuries reported; air-quality monitors showed zero trace of gas by noon.
- Caltrans hopes to reopen one northbound lane by 6 p.m., but southbound could remain closed through Thursday morning.
What Triggered the Rupture?
Preliminary reports point to a private contractor boring for fiber-optic cable without first white-lining the gas line. Investigators from the state Public Utilities Commission arrived on site with metal detectors and yellow evidence flags, photographing a toothy tear in the steel pipe that, in daylight, looked almost surgical.
“This is the third time in 18 months that a third-party dig has nicked our infrastructure along this stretch,” said SoCalGas spokesperson Melanie Ramirez. “We will pursue cost recovery and, if warranted, criminal referral.”
The Ripple Effect
By midday, rideshare surge pricing had tripled; Waze routed drivers onto canyon roads ill-suited to 18-wheelers; and LAX reported cascading delays for passengers stuck on clogged access routes. Supply-chain analysts warned that the closure could stall up to 4,300 cargo trucks daily, affecting everything overnight deliveries from the ports to the Central Valley.
A Neighborhood Holds Its Breath
As helicopters thumped overhead, some residents recalled the 2015 Porter Ranch blowout that displaced thousands for months. This time, the wind cooperated—blowing fumes westward over undeveloped hillside rather than back into bedrooms. Still, the psychological toll lingers.
“Every time I smell eggs now, I wonder: is it just breakfast or do I need to run?” said 12-year-old Mateo Alvarez, clutching a basketball he never got to dribble at the park across the street.
Officials promise a full forensic timeline within 72 hours. Until then, the 405 remains a silent scar, and a reminder that beneath Los Angeles’ endless asphalt lies a lattice of pipes everyone trusts but no one sees.