California
Authorities: 13 Wells Leaked Methane Near California Homes
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (AP) — Crews have sealed 13 oil wells in California’s San Joaquin Valley that leaked methane, some reportedly at ranges that threat an explosion, a state official stated Friday.
“The wellheads have been repaired,” and there have been no readings of methane emissions in a close-by neighborhood, stated Uduak-Joe Ntuk, head of the California Geologic Power Administration, the conservation division division that oversees wells.
Inspectors final week found that six idle oil wells close to Bakersfield properties had been leaking methane, the conservation division introduced earlier this week. Seven further leaking wells had been later found for a complete of 13, the division confirmed Friday.
The division did not say how a lot methane had leaked however no less than three of the unique six wells discovered to be leaking had methane concentrations of fifty,000 components per million within the air surrounding them, in keeping with a report from the state. Methane is probably explosive at air concentrations of fifty,000 ppm, in keeping with federal pointers.
Residents and environmentalists within the area first turned involved once they had been alerted by Clark Williams-Derry, an vitality analyst, that two wells had been hissing inside a number of hundred toes of properties. He was visiting the realm on Could 10 with a French documentary crew that’s engaged on a movie about cleansing up oil and gasoline infrastructure across the globe.
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“One among them was leaking; it was making an audible hiss,” Williams-Derry advised The Related Press. “And I used to be like ‘What the hell is happening?’ I assumed these items had been speculated to be primarily sealed.”
CalGEM had earlier stated there was no motive to alert the general public of the leaks, however advocates within the area disagreed. Within the days following discovery of the primary leaks, Cesar Aguirre, senior neighborhood organizer for the Central California Environmental Justice Community, canvassed the neighborhood surrounding the wells to inform residents.
Aguirre stated he was warning residents concerning the potential of an explosion or hearth of their neighborhood, but additionally about different potential air pollution, like acute ranges of ozone or smog, that may be forming across the leaking wells.
David J.X. González, lead writer on a latest research on the distribution of deserted wells in city areas, echoed a few of Aguirre’s issues and stated earlier this week that the leaks had been an “pressing public well being concern.”
“Researchers have discovered that methane emissions from deserted wells, that are disproportionately situated in Black and Latinx neighborhoods, seemingly means different air toxics are being emitted too, which might trigger start defects, neurological harm, impaired listening to, and a few cancers,” he stated in a press release.
At an internet neighborhood assembly Friday, air high quality and public well being officers stated that they had sampled the air and had been assessing the danger to public well being.
Ntuk additionally was questioned concerning the dangers of explosions from a buildup of methane underground.
Ntuk stated gauges have been positioned on the idled wells to observe underground strain, though he added that there’s little likelihood of a effectively blowout as a result of the oil subject is previous and low-pressured.
Ntuk stated CalGEM deliberate to finally make sure that the wells weren’t simply capped however declared deserted and fully plugged with cement. The idled wells, which sit in an unlimited, century-old oil subject, had been solely inspected lately, he added.
Ntuk stated his division has about 100 inspectors to deal with 37,000 idled oil wells across the state.
However getting effectively homeowners to cope with them or declare them deserted could be difficult, he added.
“Sadly, we’ve got bankrupt operators; we’ve got operators who’ve been gone for many years,” he stated.
Copyright 2022 The Related Press. All rights reserved. This materials is probably not printed, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Winds fuel devastating Los Angeles wildfires growth
Firefighters are battling multiple blazes across Los Angeles, with some not contained at all.
Mandatory evacuation orders remained in effect Thursday morning as wildfires continued to rage across parts of Southern California.
The deadly fires broke out this week and have destroyed more than 1,000 homes, businesses, and other structures, according to Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone. As of Thursday morning, at least five deaths had been confirmed, and nearly 250,000 were without power in the region, according to the USA TODAY power outage tracker.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency this week as more than 100,000 people have been forced to flee homes and evacuate the area.
The fires − Palisades, Eaton, Hurst, Lidia, and Sunset − have burned thousands of acres and continue to spread due to humidity and dry vegetation, authorities said. Before the fires started, the National Weather Service issued its highest alert for extreme fire conditions in Los Angeles and Ventura counties.
As of Thursday morning, Cal Fire reported the Palisades, Eaton, and Sunset fires were at zero containment, while firefighters had contained 10% of the Hurst Fire and 40% of the Lidia Fire.
Here’s where evacuation orders are in place for California and how to stay up-to-date on the latest.
Where are evacuation orders in place for the Palisades Fire?
Evacuation orders were in place from Malibu to Santa Monica, including Topanga State Park and stretching into the city as far south as Montana Avenue, as of just after 4:30 a.m. local time on Thursday, according to Cal Fire.
Wind gusts up to 60 miles per hour are expected to continue through Thursday in that area, CAL Fire reported online, “potentially aiding in further fire activity and suppression efforts.”
View an interactive map of Palisades Fire evacuation orders and warnings on the Cal Fire website.
Where are evacuation orders in place for the Hurst Fire?
Evacuation orders were in place for the San Fernando Valley, specifically at the Michael D. Antonovich Open Space Preserve, Stetson Ranch Park and Whitney Canyon Park, about 4:45 a.m. local time on Thursday, according to Cal Fire. Evacuation warnings were in place just north and south of the area.
View an interactive map of Hurst Fire evacuation orders and warnings on the Cal Fire website.
What are the evacuation orders in place for the Lidia Fire?
As of just after 4 a.m. local time on Thursday, no evacuation orders were in effect in connection to the Lidia Fire.
But Soledad Canyon Road between Agua Dulce Canyon Road and Crown Valley Road remained closed, CAL FIRE reported, as well as the entire Angeles National Forest for public safety and the protection of natural resources. The forest will remain closed through Jan. 15 at midnight.
View an interactive map of Lidia Fire on the Cal Fire website.
What are the evacuation orders in place for the Sunset Fire?
“The majority of the evacuation zone for the Sunset Fire is lifted with the exception of the area North of Franklin Ave from Camino Palmero St (East border) to North Sierra Bonita Ave. (West border)”, according to Cal Fire.
Where are evacuation orders in place for the Eaton Fire?
Evacuation orders were in place, as of about 4:30 a.m. on Thursday, for areas near Altadena Drive and Midwick Drive, Altadena and Pasadena, Cal Fire reported.
Evacuation warnings were in place for areas just west and south of the area.
View an interactive map of Eaton Fire evacuation orders and warnings on the Cal Fire website.
Contributing: Greta Cross, USA TODAY
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.
California
Jamie Lee Curtis fights back tears on ‘Tonight Show’ over California wildfire ‘catastrophe’ near her home: ‘It’s f–king gnarly, guys’
Jamie Lee Curtis fought back tears as she detailed the “catastrophe” of the Palisades Fire near her California home when she appeared on “The Tonight Show” Wednesday.
“As you know, where I live is on fire right now. Literally, the entire city of the Pacific Palisades is burning. I flew here last night. I was on the plane and started getting texts. It’s f–king gnarly, you guys,” Curtis said.
“It’s a catastrophe in Southern California. Obviously there has been horrific fires in many places. This is literally where I live. Everything.”
Curtis said she had “many, many, many” friends who have lost their homes in the devastation of the fires.
“It’s a really awful situation,” she added.
The 66-year-old added she was flying home first thing Thursday to be with her family and friends.
The Academy Award-winning actress, who lives in Los Angeles with her husband Christopher Guest, took to Instagram earlier Wednesday to share with her followers that her home was “possibly” on fire.
“My community and possibly my home is on fire,” the actress wrote in the post. “My family is safe. Many of my friends will lose their homes. Many other communities as well.”
“Take care of each other,” she told her followers. “Stay out of the way and let the firefighters do their work. Pray if you believe in it and even if you don’t, pray for those who do.”
Stay up to date with the NYP’s coverage of the terrifying LA-area fires
The Emmy winner is one of tens of thousands of people who have been forced to flee their homes in Pacific Palisades and neighboring areas.
Four fires have exploded in Los Angeles County, taking over 27,000 acres of land with zero containment in the Palisades, Eaton and Sunset fires.
The Hurst Fire is 10 percent contained, officials announced.
The fires are being fueled by strong winds, “dry fuels” and low humidity.
The “Halloween” star isn’t the only Hollywood figure whose home is under threat due to the fires.
Harrison Ford was seen talking to police as he attempted to get through to check on his $12.6 million Brentwood home he had evacuated because of the raging blaze.
Ford’s “Star Wars” co-star Mark Hamill was forced to flee his Malibu home Tuesday as the fire bore down on the area.
The 73-year-old actor detailed his hour-long “last minute” evacuation from Malibu as he experienced the most horrific fire since 1993.
Other LA-based celebrities have been forced to evacuate their homes amid the crisis, including “This Is Us” star Mandy Moore, “Schitt’s Creek” star Eugene Levy and “Once Upon a Time in America” actor James Woods.
Multiple major wildfires are leaving a trail of destruction and death in the Los Angeles area.
A handful of wildfires kicked up Tuesday, powered by high winds and dry conditions , and have exploded in size. As of Tuesday afternoon, 2 people have been killed and more than 80,000 people have been evacuated.
Follow live coverage here.
The maps below show the size and status of the fires. They will be updated frequently.
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