Evacuation orders and a local emergency have been issued in a neighborhood in Newport Beach after local officials said they detected methane gas on Thursday morning.
Officials said the leak may have been caused by an oil intrusion from an “abandoned private oil well” under one of the properties. Newport Beach Fire Department Chief Jeff Boyles said the well was capped in the 1920s and sits about 800 feet below the home.
“The gas has since increased. The pressure has increased,” Boyles said. “It’s hissing now from a crack in the concrete, which means it’s pressurized.”…