UPDATE: Banning Gas Lines That Were Leaking Will Take Days to Repair, Service Stopped

Update 10 p.m.: 

As many as 100 Banning homes will be without natural gas service for up to a few days so Southern California Gas Company crews can make repairs to a line damaged by water, officials tell Patch.

Service was halted earlier Tuesday, when a leak was detected near the Sun Lakes community.  When crews took a look at the pipelines, they found that water had made its way into them, according to a SoCal Gas official.

"Unfortunately, the water damaged gas regulators and meters and those will have to be replaced before natural gas service can be restored," Southern California Gas Company Spokeswoman Trisha Muse said.  "Replacements will begin tonight and may take a few days to complete."

Once those repairs are made, Muse said SoCal Gas employees will have to personally access any natural gas-operated appliances in affected homes, to re-light them.

"If customers are not home when we come by, we will leave a door hanger with a phone number to call and we will expedite service right away," she said.

"We apologize for this interruption in service. Our crews are working as quickly as possible to safely repair the damage to the pipeline, individual gas meters and service lines."

Customers who have questions may visit the SoCal Gas command center at the corner of Country Club and Rivera, or call 1-800-427-2200, Muse said.

Original Story As Follows:

Up to 100 Southern California Gas Company customers are without service Tuesday afternoon, after a leak was discovered in the area, officials tell Patch.

Earlier in the day, people from approximately 20 homes in Banning's Sun Lakes Senior Golf Community were asked to stay inside Tuesday morning, while crews investigated the incident.

According to Mark Annas with the Riverside County Fire Department, the leak was reported at 9:29 a.m. in the 5300 Block of Pinehurst Drive, which is in the Sun Lakes community, south of I-10.

"CAL FIRE/Riverside County Firefighters are on-scene in a stand-by capacity to assist Southern California Gas Company with an underground natural gas leak," Annas reported Tuesday morning.  "As a precaution, approximately 20 residences are sheltering-in-place."

By 12:35 p.m., Annas said the "hazard" had been mitigated, and people could exit there homes.

However, now many residents in the area are without gas service as crews work to assess the damage, and get started on repairs, according to a spokeswoman for the gas company.

"There was a water main break that damaged our pipeline," Southern California Gas Company Spokeswoman Trisha Muse told Banning-Beaumont Patch.

"Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas) learned that a water main break in Banning damaged our natural gas pipeline and caused water to enter our pipeline system," she further explained.  "The preliminary reports are that approximately 75 to 100 SoCalGas residential customers are experiencing a natural gas outage due to the water in our pipelines."

Gas crews also had to shut off water in the area, to "pinch" (or shut off) the flow of gas in the service line, according to Muse.

"They have to asses where the water has traveled through the gas line," she said.

In the meantime, those affected in Sun Lakes will not have gas.  It's not yet clear when the water will be restored, either.

Muse said there is not currently an estimated time as to when repairs will be made, and when the gas will be turned back on.

"Our crews are working as quickly as possible to address the situation," she said.

Check back with Banning-Beaumont Patch for updates as they become available.