Power plant explosion rocks Long Beach neighborhood

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An explosion rocked a Long Beach neighborhood Wednesday morning when a steam pipe ruptured at a nearby power plant.

At about 7:44 a.m., a 5-inch pipe carrying high pressure steam to a boiler at the AES Alamitos plant in south Long Beach near Pacific Coast Highway failed, blasting a plume of steam into the morning air. The blast could be heard up to a mile away, according to local media reports.

“We always strive to be a good neighbor and are sensitive to the impact the noise may have had on the community,” said AES Southland President Eric Pendergraft in a statement. “We responded as quickly as possible to shut down the facility and minimize the impact.”

It took workers about 45 minutes to take the pipe out of service.

The AES Alamitos plan provides enough natural gas power to light about 2 million homes, according to company officials.

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-- Joseph Serna