Newport Beach homes at risk of being torn down due to 'orphan' oil well leaking methane gas

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. (KABC) -- A gas leak from an abandoned oil well in the middle of a Newport Beach neighborhood has forced the city to declare a local emergency and has put the homes in the center of it all at risk of being torn down.

Emergency construction workers will continue working around the clock for the next nine days to repair the significant oil leak coming from the so-called "orphan" oil well.

REALTED: Crews begin 24/7 emergency repair work on abandoned oil well in Newport Beach after gas leak

The abandoned, private oil well dates back to the 1920's and is about 800 feet underneath a family's home.

Back in October, the homeowners discovered thick oil coming from the well seeping into their house, prompting mandatory evacuations that have since been lifted.

A 110-foot-tall oil rig in the middle of the peninsula is now working day and night.

"You get the constant beeping at three in the morning. It's a little, you know, disturbing, but we understand. I mean, we don't want to blow up either so there's that," said Hollie Keeton, who lives about 100 yards away from the construction site on Marcus Avenue.

Newport Beach officials say the rig is digging 1,000 feet down to pull the oil out and plug the well with a special cement.

"We don't want it to leak into other people's homes or into the street or even into the waterway. The water is right there. And so, we've been taking emergency action to get this thing capped," said Mark Vukojevic, utilities director for the city of Newport Beach.

The city says the well was drilled in 1924 and capped just five years later after the oil wasn't viable.

"It's very, very difficult to produce a product out of it because it's so extremely thick," Vukojevic said.

More than 100 years later, the residents are paying the price.

"The well has no owner, right? And so, we're dealing with private property, so this is really a complex situation," said Vukojevic. "But just like anything else on your own private home, if something happens on your home, in your private property, those become the responsibilities of the homeowners."

The city tells Eyewitness News that the 24/7 work will continue for about 9 more days with the goal of finishing up before Christmas.

As for those two homes that have been red tagged - the city says the homeowners are trying to figure out next steps, but they'll likely have to be torn down.