Oil Derrick Buckles In Huntington Beach, Forces Some Residents To Evacuate
HUNTINGTON BEACH (CBSLA.com) — An oil derrick buckled Monday in Huntington Beach, which forced some residents to evacuate from their homes.
Two men were doing routine maintenance on the derrick around 1:30 p.m. near Walnut and Second Street when they noticed it started to bend.
The Huntington Beach Fire Department evacuated 10 apartments and three homes in the vicinity of the rig, which was 60 to 70 feet in the air.
The derrick was then hooked up to a crane, and electricity was shut off in the area in the event the derrick were to fall onto power lines.
"Depending on whether they're able to fold (the derrick) or whether they have to dismantle it, we're gonna have to be careful to make sure it doesn't swing one way or another. We're still gonna keep everybody out of their homes until we can actually take it all the way down," said Fire Capt. Bob Culhane.
Crews later used a cutting torch to remove the top of the derrick. Once the top was released, workers untangled the cables.
Residents were allowed back in their homes around 8 p.m.
Southern California Edison, along with the Orange County Fire Authority, was on the scene.
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