Wilmington residents found themselves in a slippery situation when a massive 20-inch pipeline burst on Saturday, spattering Anaheim Street with a gush of petroleum product. The Los Angeles Fire Department scrambled to the 600 block of East Anaheim Street after the incident was reported just before 2 p.m., as per information obtained by KABC.
The firefighters' swift action saw the oil flow curtailed, preventing a potential environmental calamity. Their response included creating dirt berms to mitigate further spreading, "Fortunately, the flow was quickly shut down. No injury. No fire. No evacuation," announced LAFD Public Information Officer Erik Scott in a post cited by KABC. The source of the debacle appeared to be from a property bearing signs for "Warren E & P, Inc.," an oil and natural gas firm yet to comment on the matter.
Despite the immediate danger being defused, the residue of this urban geyser made its way through the streets and even into the storm drains. The Los Angeles Fire Department reported no widespread or escalating hazard to the public, yet remnants of the crude awakening were seen in the Wilmington marina and off the shores. This incident sparked action from the state's Spill Prevention and Response Team to assess the environmental ramifications of the spill.
The cleanup operation required the persistent presence of hazmat teams on site, a reassurance to onlookers that despite no immediate threat, the aftermath of such an incident was indeed taken seriously. In a statement gleaned by CBS News, when firefighters arrived, they rushed to "contain as much of the product as they can, and protect storm drains and waterways." It remains to be seen what effect the spill will have on local ecosystems, but cleanup crews, backed by Warren E & P, Inc., are on tap to rectify the residue of this unfortunate occurrence.
