Authorities were responding Saturday to reports of a gas line explosion near the 5 Freeway in Castaic.
LA County firefighters were called around 4:17 p.m. to the area of Ridge Route Road and Pine Crest Place. It’s unclear exactly where the explosion occurred.
Officials had issued an evacuation order that was later downgraded to a shelter-in-place order.
A shelter-in-place order was issued for the following Castaic areas:
West of I-5
South of North Red Oak Court
North of Park Vista Drive
East of Meadow Grass Drive, Victoria Road, and Mandolin Canyon Road
The entire 5 Freeway was shut down indefinitely, according to the California Highway Patrol. Northbound traffic was being diverted to the CA-126.
SIGALERT ISSUED IN CASTAIC:
NB I-5: ALL LANES WILL BE CLOSED AND ALL TRAFFIC WILL BE DIVERTED TO SR-126. SB I-5: ALL LANES WILL BE CLOSED AND ALL TRAFFIC WILL BE DIVERTED TO SR-138.
THESE CLOSURES WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE DUE TO SAFETY HAZARD.@CHPsouthern
— CHP_LA_TRAFFIC (@CHP_LA_TRAFFIC) December 28, 2025
A witness in the area reported a sulfur smell and a loud noise that sounded like a jet engine.