Gas line explosion destroys equipment in California desert
BARSTOW, Calif. (AP) — Southern California authorities say nobody was hurt when a natural gas line caught fire and exploded, destroying heavy construction equipment in the western Mojave Desert between Los Angeles and Las Vegas.
The San Bernardino Sun reports (http://bit.ly/2yjriLr ) the blast was reported Sunday just south of Interstate 40, about 25 miles (40 kilometers) east of Barstow.
Ryan Vaccaro, spokesman for the San Bernardino County Fire Department, says a crew of about 16 workers was evacuated before the explosion when somebody smelled a gas odor.
The newspaper says the blast destroyed equipment, created a crater in the ground and sparked a small brush fire.