A methane gas leak at a home on the Balboa Peninsula of Newport Beach prompted the city to issue a local emergency, officials said Thursday.

Homes and properties near Marcus Avenue near 36th Street were evacuated after methane gas was detected at a house, the city said.

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City officials said the homeowner had called to report the possible gas leak as there is an abandoned oil well underneath the neighborhood. The private oil well was capped in 1929, the city added.

Officials were not concerned about people breathing in the gas, but the fear is that, if it is ignited, it could be destructive to the neighborhood.

The affected area was closed off to the public Thursday afternoon, restricted to authorized personnel on

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