Burst pipe sends gallons of crude oil into East LA street, prompting road closures

EAST LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The California Highway Patrol has issued a SigAlert for the closure of the area near East Cesar Chavez and Eastern avenues in East Los Angeles due to a burst underground pipe.

Motorists are advised to avoid the area or seek alternate routes.

The Los Angeles County Fire Department said they responded to a call for a possible hazmat situation at about 3:21 a.m. Friday.

The fire agency says a construction crew was drilling a 6-inch hole in the ground and nicked a 16-inch pipe transporting crude oil from the area of Dodger Stadium to the Port of L.A.

The L.A. County Fire Department said the oil leak was shut down 40 minutes after the initial call. The leak was estimated to have been flowing at about half a gallon of crude oil a second.

And though there's no safety threat to residential areas, the agency said a "significant amount of crude oil" leaked into nearby storm drains making it an environmental hazard.

It was not immediately clear how much oil was leaked.

This is a developing story. This article will continue to be updated as more information becomes available.

City News Service contributed to this report.