The 5 Freeway north of Los Angeles was temporarily closed and a shelter-in-place order has been issued to residents in Castaic after a natural gas line ruptured on Saturday afternoon.
L.A. County Fire Department officials say that they received reports of an explosion in the area just north of North Park Elementary School, near Ridge Route Road and Pine Crest Place at around 4:20 p.m., which was then followed by reports of a strong gas smell.
The 5 Freeway is a major artery that links Southern California to the rest of the state. It runs north all the way through Oregon and Washington to Canada…