Mysterious fire burned in soil at California gas facility

LOS ANGELES – A California utility is trying to find the source of a small ground fire at its large natural gas storage facility.

A Southern California Gas Co. spokesman said the fire extinguished Tuesday did not appear to come from natural gas stored deep underground at Aliso Canyon outside Los Angeles.

Chris Gilbride says the company discovered the flames while evaluating whether a wildfire last week caused damage. No damage or leaks have been reported.

The storage area was the sight of the nation’s largest known methane release when a 2015 blowout lasted four months and forced 8,000 families to evacuate.

The company will test the soil to find the source of the tiny blaze that burned in sandy soil on a steep hillside.

The fire did not affect the company’s operations.