Updated as of 8 a.m., March 9
SDG&E crews worked through the night and completed gas service restoration for all residential customers impacted by yesterday's pipeline incident by 3 a.m. this morning.
We truly appreciate everyone's patience and understanding as we worked to resolve the issue.
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Updated as of 9 p.m., March 8
SDG&E crews have made significant progress restoring gas service, and as of 9 p.m. tonight, approximately 400 residential customers impacted by yesterday’s pipeline incident have had their gas restored.
Originally, 900 residential customers, as well as businesses inside Fashion Valley mall, were affected by the gas leak reported yesterday morning at Friars Road and State Route 163.
Our crews have been working non-stop over the past two days to resolve the situation. In addition to restoring service to customers, crews have been busy making repairs to the damaged gas pipeline.
We appreciate everyone’s continued patience.
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Updated as of 4 p.m., March 8
Now that gas service to Fashion Valley mall has been completely restored, our customer service field crews are now focused on doing the same for residential customers impacted near Friars Road. It’s anticipated that all customers will have their gas service restored by 6 p.m.
Meanwhile, our temporary repairs to the damaged 20-inch gas transmission pipeline are in progress and on track for completion later this evening.
As part of the temporary repairs, crews safely cut and capped both ends of the damaged pipeline.
A permanent repair plan has not been identified. Until then, the temporary repairs will safely provide reliable gas service to residents and businesses in the area.
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Updated as of noon, March 8
As of noon today, gas service has been restored to all major restaurants at Fashion Valley mall that were affected by the gas line leak near Friars Road and State Route 163.
SDG&E crews are now working diligently to safely restore service to the other businesses, as well as 900 residential customers who were impacted. Service is expected to be restored to all customers by about 6 p.m. tonight.
Public safety remains our highest priority as we continue to make repairs to the 20-inch pipeline that was damaged yesterday by a third-party contractor.
Repairing a 20-inch pipeline is a time-consuming process, and we appreciate the continued patience of everyone who has been affected by the situation.
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Updated as of 10:30 a.m., March 8
SDG&E crews worked through the night to repair the natural gas pipeline in Mission Valley that was damaged by a third-party contractor yesterday near Friars Road and State Route 163.
As of 7 p.m. last night, SDG&E crews controlled the gas leak and began working on repairs and by approximately 7:45 p.m., first responders lifted all evacuation and road closures.
Currently, 1,000 customers remain without gas service including tenants at Fashion Valley Mall. We anticipate the mall will have gas service by noon today.
We do not have an estimated time of service restoration for the remaining 900 residential customers who have been impacted, but are working as quickly and safely as possible. When ready, SDG&E customer service field personnel will be on scene to re-light customers’ pilot lights.
There is no higher priority than the safety of everyone in the area and our crews when dealing with these kinds of emergencies. We appreciate the continued patience of all of those impacted by this situation.
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Updated as of 7:50 p.m., March 7
The gas flow from a damaged natural gas pipeline in Mission Valley has been controlled. SDG&E crews did a controlled release of gas in the 20-inch pipeline that a third-party contractor drilled into earlier today near Friars Road and State Route 163.
Crews are now purging the line of any remaining gas within the pipe. Once that is complete, they will begin assessing damage to the pipe and start repairs.
San Diego Police, the California Highway Patrol and San Diego Fire-Rescue will determine when the road and freeway will be reopened. In addition, they will decide when to allow evacuees back into their homes and businesses.
This damaged pipeline has caused nearly 1,000 customers to be without gas service. Approximately 75 business customers in Fashion Valley Mall lost service, as well as about 900 residential customers who can’t use their gas powered hot water heaters. Currently, there is no estimated time as to when gas service will be restored. Once the repairs are completed, SDG&E customer service field personnel will be on scene to re-light customers’ pilot lights.
There is no higher priority than the safety of everyone in the area and our crews when dealing with these kinds of emergencies. We appreciate the continued patience of all of those impacted by this situation.
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Updated as of 5 p.m., March 7
Following a third-party contractor drilling into a 20-inch natural gas pipeline in Mission Valley, our gas emergency response crews are working to safely control the flow of gas. The rupture occurred on a pipeline at Friars Road and State Route (SR) 163.
Our crews are working closely with emergency personnel on scene to keep the area safe. There is no higher priority than the safety of everyone in the area and our crews when dealing with these kinds of emergencies.
Motorists are urged to avoid the area until further notice. SR-163 is closed in both directions, as well as Friars Road.
We thank everyone for their patience, as we work to safely resolve this emergency.
What does it take to repair the leak?
There are a number of steps involved in safely containing a “dig-in” that results in gas flow of this size, including:
- Assessing the impacted area;
- Identifying the source of the pipeline and where the gas feeds into;
- Then identifying the valves that can be used to isolate the impacted area and developing a gas control plan;
- Before closing valves, determining customer impacts;
- Executing the gas control plan and de-pressuring the line to zero pounds of pressure
Once these time-consuming steps have been conducted, crews can then safely start assessing the damage to the pipe and repairing it.
We will continue to update this page with the latest information.