Porter Ranch, a neighborhood in Los Angeles, had a massive methane leak that has been spewing gas into the air since Oct. 23, 2015, affecting the lives of many in the area, as well as the climate.

Southern California Gas Company operates a 3,600 acre natural gas storage in Aliso Canyon, a mile away from the Porter Ranch community. In 2015, Southern California Gas Company injected 5.7 billion cubic feet of gas underground for storage. As Southern California Gas Company was injecting this gas in Oct. 2015, the injection failed, thus resulting in a gas leak, which has been contaminating the air quality. Porter Ranch is known for having the cleanest air because of its air currents, but now, those winds have been sweeping the gas across the county.

The government agency that regulates southern California’s air quality sued Southern California Gas Company, accusing the company of negligence for the massive gas leak that has occurred. The gas leak has forced a large number of people to evacuate and leave their homes to seek refuge. The gas has also affected the health of many people throughout the community, making individuals suffer from nausea, coughing, and nose bleeds.

In three months, this storage facility has leaked more greenhouse gases than any other facility in California. Methane is a gas that is more toxic than carbon dioxide. Even after the leak is fixed, the methane will still be present in the atmosphere and will still continue to damage the environment. As of now, the leak has generated as much greenhouse gas as driving a car more than 5 billion miles, according to the California Air Resources Board of the U.S. Environmental of the Protection Agency.

The Air Quality Management District, a government agency that regulates air quality in Southern California, reported elevated levels of methane and hydrocarbons in the air. The biggest concern coming out of the leak is benzene, a gas that is known to cause cancer.

Southern California Gas Company states that they are doing everything possible to take care of this ongoing leak. It will take a week to actually stop this harmful gas from spewing methane into the air, and even after it has been taken care of, the environment is still going to suffer.