On Sunday, city officials ordered dozens of Ventura residents to leave their homes after gasoline leaked into a local sewer line, the second time in three days that residents had to evacuate because of the problem.
Authorities ordered the evacuation of about 150 homes due to “potentially dangerous levels of hydrocarbon fumes” and put another 2,600 homes on alert. Both orders were lifted at 4:40 p.m. on Sunday.
Authorities identified the source of the leak as the Sinclair gas station at 2121 E. Harbor Blvd. The gas station owner told authorities that at least 2,000 gallons of gasoline had ended up on the ground at Monmouth Way and Harbor Boulevard, said Mack Douglass, emergency services manager for the Ventura Police Department.
The gasoline leaked from an underground facility, said Jennifer Buckley, a city spokeswoman.
Sinclair Harbor said in a statement Sunday that the company was informed of a possible leak on Friday. The affected pipelines are no longer holding gas and the gas station has been shut down as a precaution, the statement said.
“Additional testing and repairs are scheduled for early next week to ensure the issue is fully resolved,” the statement said.
In their evacuation order issued at 9:53 a.m. Sunday, Ventura police urged residents along Bayshore Avenue to “leave the area as soon as possible.”
The incident began Thursday after fumes were spotted coming from the sewer line on Monmouth Way between East Harbor and Pierpont boulevards. That prompted evacuations and warnings that were lifted later in the day. Authorities could not confirm at the time that gasoline was involved, Buckley said.
An emergency alert update from the city on Sunday said Ventura Water had repaired the line where the leak was located, but “the extent of the leak continues to be investigated in the sewer system to mitigate vapor caused by gasoline.”
Bayshore Avenue south of Peninsula Street remained closed Sunday night due to open maintenance manhole covers in the right-of-way.
Officials warned the public to stay away from maintenance holes where city crews were working.
