State-led efforts are underway to address a methane leak in Newport Beach that was recently discovered in a waterfront neighborhood, with continuous construction and 24-hour drilling scheduled to continue through December to resolve the issue.

The methane leakage that led to the October evacuations of several homes in the Beacon Bay neighborhood is believed to originate from an abandoned 1920s-era private oil well located beneath the neighborhood.

Months earlier, the homeowner of the primary affected property at 3606 Marcus Avenue noticed oil seeping up through the home's foundation.

Newport Beach Fire Department Chief Jeff Boyles said the well, 800 feet below the home, was capped in the 1920s, but that gas and pressure had increased. "It's hissing now from a crack in the concre

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