Water found in natural gas lines prompts dayslong outage affecting thousands in Ontario

ONTARIO, Calif. (KABC) -- An unusual problem left thousands of homes and businesses in Ontario without natural gas for days after water made its way into underground natural gas lines.

On Tuesday, SoCalGas crews were out using vacuum trucks to suction water out of natural gas lines in a residential neighborhood as they worked to restore service.

The disruption began Saturday morning when water inundated parts of the natural gas system, forcing crews to shut off service and begin repairs.

Maria Gonzalez, who lives in the affected area, said the outage quickly disrupted everyday routines for her family.

"We can't do anything," Gonzalez said in Spanish. "We can't cook, we can't bathe with hot water, clean our clothes, or do anything at the house."

Gonzalez said she watched crews working throughout the neighborhood as they attempted to fix the problem.

"Yesterday they were going house to house opening the meters and taking out water," she said. "That's the problem there is water in them."

According to SoCalGas, the issue was caused when a broken water main allowed water to enter natural gas lines.

Crews have been working meter by meter to remove the water and repair damaged equipment. In some cases, meters have had to be removed and replaced before gas service can safely be restored.

The outage affected more than 2,000 customers in an area stretching from Francis Street to the north, Riverside Drive to the south, San Antonio Avenue to the west, and Sultana Avenue to the east.

Local businesses were also impacted.

At Moon Grill Hawaiian BBQ, owner Michelle Leonardi said the restaurant had to close its doors for three days while gas service was shut off.

"We lost business for a few days and they have not been able to work, so they lost income as well." Leonardi said, referring to her employees.

For residents like Omar Carrasco, the outage meant finding creative ways to get through daily routines.

"The old-fashioned way, heating it on a gas burner outside or going to the gym to take showers," Carrasco said.

SoCalGas said as of Tuesday afternoon it had restored service to 36 customers and hope to have all customers restores to natural gas by the end of the week.