Buildings evacuated after gas line rupture

For the second time in six months, buildings near the cinema school have been evacuated after a gas line ruptured near the cinema school construction site.

According to DPS, the gas leak caused by the rupture was first noticed around 10:30 a.m. At least two LAFD trucks responded immediately and cleared the area.

Students are being kept away from the cinema school and surround buildings until the leak has been contained.

Buildings near the cinema school construction site were last evacuated March 31, after construction workers struck a gas line. That leak was contained within a few hours and no permanent damage was caused.

Until the area is cleared, USC trams will stop at the MTA stop at Jefferson and Hoover and will skip all stops on 34th and McClintock.

Update…

As of 3 p.m., authorities had cleared the area and the buildings were reopened.

Work continued, however, as construction crews tried to fill the hole they had dug on the side of McClintock Avenue while trying to fix the gas line. That work could continue into tomorrow.

DPS Capt. David Carlisle said the gas leak posed no immediate threat, but the evacuation was ordered as a precaution.

“It’s not…an unusual occurrence in large construction projects,” Carlisle said. “Usually the danger is not that great unless there’s something like an open spark.”

There were no injuries as a result of the leak and no permanent damage.