It’s another strike for Greka Energy Corporation. Saturday morning the Santa Barbara County Fire Department responded to a call by an on-scene State Fish and Game officer concerning a leak of natural gas at a Greka facility. Firefighters discovered the leak – along with a Greka employee attempting to stop the leak – in a four-inch pressurized pipeline. The pipeline was depressurized and the natural gas was determined non-toxic, but “explosive and flammable,” according to Captain Eli Iskow.

The State Fish and Game officer also alerted fire officials to a small crude oil spill at a nearby location in the same Greka facility. The spill is undergoing investigation. According to Iskow, the natural gas leak occurred at a facility across the street from the crude oil spill that occurred Dec. 7, all at the Greka Santa Maria facility.

The SB County Fire Department, along with three county divisions, the state Division of Oil and Gas and the State Fish and Game will present a report to the County Board of Supervisors on 1/15 concerning Greka’s future in light of these recent slip-ups.

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