About That Gas Leak Alert You Got? Unless You're Near A Certain Intersection In Downey, Not To Worry

Did you get an alert on your phone about a gas leak in Downey just before 12:38 p.m.? A lot of people did.

An emergency alert came through warning people throughout L.A. County to "avoid area" near Stewart and Gray Road and Rives Ave.

The alert went out because a contractor was digging near those streets and hit a gas line, according to SoCal Gas. It has teams investigating, but says the risk is focused on that immediate area.

So why did people who live far from Downey receive the alert?

It turns out Downey city staff were trying out a new emergency notification system, and they thought they had it configured to reach only Downey residents but instead the message about the gas leak went countywide, said Downey spokesperson Judy Montenegro.

So if you're in Pasadena or Orange County or some other place far away from Downey and got the alert, you can relax.

Meanwhile, Downey firefighters were on the scene diverting traffic and assisting with evacuations in the area, according to the city fire department's Twitter feed.