Los Angeles - Thousands of litres of crude oil spilled over a half-mile area in Los Angeles on Thursday due to a break in an above-ground Plains West Coast pipeline, the city fire department said.
The spill was more than 45 000 000 litres, said Jamie Moore, a public information officer with the Los Angeles Fire Department.
The first estimate of the spill was just more than 1 000 barrels.
Four people at a nearby business were evacuated with respiratory complaints and two people were transferred to a hospital, a report said.
The pipeline was shut off remotely and officials closed down a section of the city.
A spokesperson for the fire department said: "Oil is knee-high in some areas and a handful of commercial businesses are affected."