Update: 4:36 p.m. May 22, 2026.
An underground oil pipe ruptured overnight in East Los Angeles, spilling crude oil onto nearby streets, into storm drains and the Los Angeles River, authorities said.
Firefighters responded to a hazmat incident at about 3:19 a.m. Friday at East Cesar E. Chavez and North Eastern avenues, according to LA County Fire Department Public Information Officer Pauline McGee. Officials said early reports indicated a boring crew conducting directional drilling for a fiber optic line struck a 16-inch petroleum pipeline…