Burst Pipe Leaks 10,000 Gallons of Oil Onto California Streets

Danielle Wiener-Bronner

A broken oil pipe leaked 10,000 gallons (revised downward from 50,000 gallons by officials since this morning) of oil over a half-mile area in Atwater Village, a suburb of Los Angeles, early Thursday morning, and oil is now reportedly knee-deep on some streets.

Raw footage shows the oil spurt into the air, and spill river-like down a nearby road: 

The Los Angeles Fire Department said that the 20-inch above-ground pipe burst soon after midnight, and that no injuries have been reported. Per NBC Los Angeles, the event has partially shut down the area, where oil was seen shooting skyward and into some businesses. The spill also caused the evacuation of a local establishment called The Gentleman's Club.

The affected oil line has been shut off.  

Update 1:22 p.m.: The tanker trucks that are being used to vacuum up the mess have provided a more accurate read on how much oil was actually spilled, prompting officials to revise the figure from the initially-reported 50,000 gallons to 10,000 gallons, according to the Los Angeles Times. Firefighters say it will take about 24 hours altogether to complete the cleanup. Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Jamie Moore said the spilled oil looked, in some locations, "like a lake," with some pools covering an area that is 40 feet wide. 

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Firefighters stemmed the flow with sandbags and have been using the tanker trucks to vacuum the affected areas. Whatever is left will be soaked up with "diaper-like" sponges. 

This article was originally published at http://www.thewire.com/national/2014/05/burst-pipe-leaks-50000-gallons-of-oil-onto-california-streets/370926/

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