A propane gas leak left a mobile home park in Ramona without gas, heat or hot water for more than 24 hours, officials said.
Crews said the leak came from a 30,000 gallon propane tank in the 1200 block of H Street, located in the Ramona Terrace Estates community.
Cal Fire said the gas in the area would have to be shut off for at least 24 hours -- if not three or four days -- beginning at about 1:30 p.m. Friday when crews discovered the leak.
The gas leak was controlled with no injuries or property damage to the community.
However, a total of 10 homes were evacuated Friday night. Another 220 residents affected by the leak were under voluntary evacuation without heat, hot water or gas for their stoves, officials said.
Temperatures in the area were expected to reach freezing levels over the weekend.
The American Red Cross assisted by opening a shelter for displaced residents at both Ramona High School and Olive Pierce Middle School on Hanson Lane. Officials advised residents to utilize the emergency shelters for warmth and food.
However, on Friday night, the shelters were empty, with many residents choosing to tough it out instead.
“It’s going to be a couple of days they said, and it’s really rough right before Christmas time,” said one resident.
Ramona Fire Battalion Chief Saul Villagomez said the leak is pretty extensive, which is why it impacted so many homes.
"The park is fed by a 30,000 gallon propane tank and between the residence and the propane tank there is a leak,” Villagomez explained.
Crews were set to repair the leak Saturday morning. Initially, they believed they might not finish the job before Christmas Eve.
On Saturday, residents at the Ramona Terrace Estates told NBC 7 they were doing fine, just a bit cold from the lack of heat. Many said they were bundling up.
The Red Cross shelter was still open, but no one was using it. Red Cross officials said they would close down the shelter by Saturday afternoon.
On Saturday, Cal Fire officials told NBC 7 the leak could be a bigger project than they expected -- particularly finding the source of the leak.
However, by 3:30 p.m., officials told NBC 7 they had fixed the leak and would begin turning on the gas around 5 p.m. They expect to have gas, heat and hot water restored to all impacted residents by midnight.
