WEST HOLLYWOOD (CNS) – Water gushed down West Hollywood streets and many were closed Thursday morning after a major water main broke, opening a sinkhole near the Sunset Strip and damaging parked cars.
The Los Angeles County Fire Department said that a major water main was reported broken just after 4 a.m. in the area of Palm Avenue and Harratt Street.
Live television broadcasts and video showed water spewing from the area of Sunset Boulevard and Holloway Drive to Santa Monica Boulevard and into the Metro bus yard on Santa Monica Boulevard near San Vicente Boulevard.
Two people fell into a sinkhole that collapsed the sidewalk on Palm just south of Sunset, a witness said. They did not appear to be seriously injured, he said.
LACo Fire Department Los Angeles County Fire Department Capt. Aaron Katon said that firefighters worked to turn off the flow from the broken 3-inch main. He added that it was a multi-agency effort in which the priority was getting the water shut off and people should stay in their homes and avoid the area.
By 7 a.m. the water, which flowed like river rapids for a time, had stopped leaking.
Metro buses were being rerouted around the area, the agency announced. “LINES 16 (and) 105: Due to a water main break, northbound and westbound buses will layover on San Vincente in front of the Pacific Design Center,” Metro said in an announcement. “Eastbound and Southbound buses will detour via Robertson between Santa Monica and Melrose.”
A Los Angeles Department of Water and Power spokeswoman said utility crews responded to shut off the flow of water, which buckled pavement in some areas.
“We received the report of this incident at 3:55 a.m. and our water crews have been onsite working to carefully and methodically close large diameter valves located underground to turn off the water and assess and repair the damage,” she said. “Due to the highly pressurized water system, our crews must turn valves slowly and carefully to avoid causing further damage.
“We are also coordinating on the ground with law enforcement and will be working with traffic control as we make progress and assess and begin repairs.”
Sunset and Santa Monica boulevards remained closed in the area as do many other streets.
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