Crews are actively cleaning the scene of an oil pipeline rupture
Crews clean the scene along Cesar E. Chavez and Eastern avenues, where gallons of crude oil spilled onto the street. (Andrew Lopez / For Boyle Heights Beat)

Update: 4:36 p.m. May 22, 2026.

An underground oil pipe ruptured overnight in East Los Angeles, spilling crude oil onto nearby streets, into storm drains and the Los Angeles River, authorities said.

Firefighters responded to a hazmat incident at about 3:19 a.m. Friday at East Cesar E. Chavez and North Eastern avenues, according to LA County Fire Department Public Information Officer Pauline McGee. Officials said early reports indicated a boring crew conducting directional drilling for a fiber optic line struck a 16-inch petroleum pipeline.

The pipeline was spilling at about 5 gallons per second before it was shut off, McGee said, adding that an estimated 2,400 gallons were spilled.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis’ office said the spill later reached the Los Angeles River and was moving downstream toward Long Beach and the ocean.

“I am calling for an immediate and thorough investigation into this incident to determine how this occurred and to ensure all responsible parties are held accountable. The environmental consequences of this spill are deeply concerning, and every agency involved must respond with the urgency this situation demands,” said Solis in a statement.

View of the LA River
Crude oil from a pipeline rupture reached the LA River on Friday, May 22, 2026. Pictured is the border of Vernon and Maywood. (Courtesy of the Office of Hilda Solis)

Cleanup crews from various agencies were at the scene, including the U.S. Coast Guard and California Department of Fish and Wildlife. LA County Fire said the surface-level cleanup was expected to be completed by the end of the day, but added that long-term cleanup and damage assessment will likely take days.

The California Highway Patrol issued a SigAlert that the intersection of East Cesar E. Chavez Ave. and North Eastern avenues is closed in all directions. Solis’ office said only one business was affected at the intersection and will remain closed until further notice.

The pipeline flows about 2,000 barrels of crude oil per hour and runs from Kern County to the Port of Los Angeles, McGee said. Authorities initially said the pipeline carried 4,600 barrels per hour but later corrected the number.

The pipeline is operated by Pacific Pipeline System, which since 2006 has been owned by Plains All American Pipeline.

The oil spill sent a strong smell of gas lingering in the air during school hours.

Boyle Heights resident Cruz Flores said he was late dropping off his brother at Esteban E. Torres High School because of the street closures.

“A lot of students were late,” Flores said. “I’m just concerned about the students because you could smell it over there by the school.”

In a statement sent to nearby campuses around 11:30 a.m., including Esteban E. Torres High School, Eastman Elementary School and Eastman Early Education Center, the Los Angeles Unified School District said the students and staff were safe and gave the all clear to resume instruction.

“LAUSD Office of Environmental Health and Safety, and maintenance and operations have responded to the issue and cleared our campus for normal operations,” the district said. “In an abundance of caution, we instituted inclement weather procedures for students and staff on campus and distributed masks to those who requested one. Students and staff are safe.”

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said it had been working with agency partners, including the fire department’s Health Hazardous Materials Division and LAUSD. 

“The Fire Department conducted air monitoring at the schools and in classrooms, with no notable readings,” the department said. The department also added that it had not received complaints to its community health complaint line.

the scene of an underground pipe rupture
A pipeline that was ruptured in East LA flows about 2,000 barrels of crude oil per hour and runs from Kern County to the Port of Los Angeles. (Andrew Lopez / For Boyle Heights Beat)

The spill also affected nearby residents.

“I started hearing the helicopters at like 5 in the morning. As soon as my dad left, they closed the street off,” Araceli Inocencio said, adding that the smell was her biggest concern. “We had to close the doors and windows to not smell it.”

Inocencio’s neighbor, Salo Rios, said that in the 30 years she’s lived in East LA, she had never seen a hazmat incident like this. Because her home was so close to the spill, officials told her she wasn’t allowed to leave her driveway.

“I needed to go to work but they told me I can’t,” Salo Rios said.

Boyle Heights Beat reporter Alejandra Molina contributed to this story.

Correction, May. 22, 2026 4:41 pm: An earlier version of this story misspelled the name of LA County Fire Department Public Information Officer Pauline McGee. It has been corrected.

My background: I was born in Mexico and raised in Boyle Heights, where I got my start in journalism by launching a community blog. Most recently, I worked at the Los Angeles Times and have spent most of my career covering local news in LA, with a focus on community-centered stories, Latino communities and mentoring emerging writers.

What I do: I lead coverage of Boyle Heights and East LA across all platforms to inform, connect and uplift our community. I spend my days listening, planning, editing and coordinating to make sure our stories reflect the community fairly, while supporting and mentoring my team of reporters and freelancers so they can grow along the way.

Why LA?: It’s home. It’s the sounds of Spanglish and other languages, the smell of tacos and kimchi, the way street art tells stories and how, even though I hate traffic, I love how the freeways can take me to the beach or the mountains on a whim.

The best way to contact me: My email is jessica.perez@boyleheightsbeat.org.

Andrew Lopez is a Los Angeles native with roots across the Eastside. He studied at San Francisco State University and later earned a master’s degree in journalism from the University of California, Berkeley. He returned to Los Angeles from the Bay Area to report for Boyle Heights Beat from 2023 to 2025 through UC Berkeley’s California Local News Fellowship. When he is not reporting, Lopez mentors youth journalists through The LA Local’s youth journalism program. He enjoys practicing photojournalism and covering the intersections of culture, history and local government in Eastside communities.

My background: I’m originally from Fontana in the Inland Empire and have spent most of my career covering local news for Latino communities in Los Angeles. Most recently, I led coverage of the historic 2024 Latino vote in Nevada as editor of the Las Vegas Review-Journal en Español. Before that, I was the Bilingual Communities Reporter at the Long Beach Post, getting to know the city’s vibrant Spanish-speaking communities.

What I do: I cover topics that will help residents in Boyle Heights and East LA navigate and understand the issues they encounter in their everyday lives while also seeing themselves reflected in the stories we spotlight.

Why LA?: I have vivid memories of visiting El Mercadito in Boyle Heights with my family and indulging in gorditas, esquites and nieves de limón before our hour-long drives back to the IE. The struggles of underserved communities are felt across county borders and I’m eager to report on a community that reminds me of home.

The best way to contact me: My email is laura@boyleheightsbeat.org.

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