A major water main break has sent water gushing through the streets of West Hollywood, California, flooding a long stretch of Sunset Boulevard and turning a busy corridor into a river during the morning commute. Officials said the rupture began at around three o'clock in the morning near the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Holloway, and by daybreak water was still pouring down the road with no immediate end in sight.
The force of the break appeared to open a minor sinkhole at the scene, and from there the water flowed downhill, spreading well beyond the immediate area. Officials said it ran along Sunset Boulevard and continued all the way down to Santa Monica Boulevard, near the San Vicente area, carrying with it debris and leaving a wide swathe of the neighbourhood awash as crews scrambled to respond.
Along the way, the water caused significant damage. Officials and reporters at the scene described apartment buildings being inundated and a parking garage that had been completely flooded, while at a bus depot in the area buses were left sitting in standing water. Businesses in the path of the flow were also hit, and residents spoke of their disbelief that the water was still running hours after it had started.
Authorities moved to close roads to keep people away from the fast-moving water and to give crews room to work. Officials said Santa Monica Boulevard and Sunset Boulevard were shut at Holloway and were expected to remain closed for much of the morning, warning that the break would have a major impact on the commute and on day-to-day life in the city for the rest of the day.
A West Hollywood official said the safety of residents was the top priority. He urged people to do everything they could to avoid the area of the water flows until the break could be shut off, and said anyone who found themselves in the middle of the flooding should stay in place and not walk out until the water had completely subsided, warning of the dangers of moving through the rushing water.
Crews were working to stop the flow, but officials cautioned that it was too preliminary to offer a timeline for when the water might be shut off, saying only that they would get it done as soon as they could. Part of the delay, they indicated, was in establishing exactly which water utility the main belonged to and which had jurisdiction over the repair, a question still being sorted out as the water continued to run.
By mid-morning there were some signs of progress, with the water reported to be flowing more slowly in places, though it was still moving down the boulevard. Officials said the clean-up, once the flow was finally stopped, would be a substantial undertaking, describing it as a difficult situation for the many residents and business owners whose properties had been swamped by the water.
Crucially, officials reported no injuries as a result of the break, even as the flooding disrupted a large and busy part of the city. The incident added to a run of infrastructure headaches for the region and served as a reminder of how quickly a single burst pipe can bring a neighbourhood to a standstill, closing major thoroughfares and leaving homes, businesses and vehicles under water.