Diesel line punctured in Indio
An underground gas line punctured by construction workers spilled more than 19,000 gallons of diesel this afternoon in Indio, shutting down a stretch of Indio Boulevard and Union Pacific Railroad service, fire officials said.
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Indio Boulevard, between Madison and Jefferson streets is expected to be closed, for up to 10 hours for cleanup following the 1 p.m. spill, Indio Police Spokesman Ben Guitron said.
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Kinder-Morgan, Inc., an energy company with pipelines running through Northern America, had hired subcontractors to work on a line in the area, said Capt. Fernando Herrera of the California Department of Foresty and Fire Protection.
But crews damaged a 1-inch feeder line linked to a main line carrying diesel, oil and gasoline from Long Beach through Arizona, he said.
“Workers were in a 40-foot hole when they hit the pipe,” Herrera said.
A hazardous materials team, a half-dozen fire engines, Indio police, Cal Fire and California Highway Patrol personnel were on the scene.
Wednesday’s high winds ripped through the area as crews worked to clean up — but it was a good thing, officials said.
“The wind actually helped dissipate the vapors,” Herrera said. “The next process is to remove the contaminated soil from the area.”
There are a few businesses in the area, but officials said evacuations were unnecessary. However, they asked some owners to close their businesses early as a precaution.
