A major water main break sent a geyser of water blasting through Sunset Boulevard north of the UCLA campus today, sending mud and water cascading down the street and inundating a number of vehicles as it made its way onto the university grounds.
Sunset was closed between Veteran and Hilgard avenues while fire crews ensured that no motorists were stuck in the deluge. Fire officials said three stranded motorists were safely taken out of the area, but no one was trapped and no injuries were reported.
Water not only inundated the street and blasted a sizeable hole in the roadway, but it flowed into UCLA parking structures, with flooding reported over the wheel wells of vehicles. University officials said parking structures 4 and 7 were closed and an alert was sent to students urging them to avoid the area.
Mud and water also covered the university’s Drake Stadium — a track-and-field facility — along with an adjacent athletic field and the concourse surrounding Pauley Pavilion. The university’s famed basketball arena, which recently underwent a major renovation, was taking on water.
The water main ruptured on Sunset near Marymount Place just north of the campus shortly before 3:30 p.m.
Dozens of people, likely UCLA students, gathered on the northern portion of campus to get a look at the growing flood, which flooded some walkways and turned stairwells into waterfalls. Some students could be seen with skimboards trying to take advantage of the flowing water.
Michelle Vargas of the Department of Water and Power said repair crews were being escorted to the scene of the break by police due to traffic backing up in the area.
It was unclear large of a pipe ruptured, but Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey said some of the pipes in that area are as big as 36 inches in diameter.
An LAFD swift-water rescue team was sent to the scene as a precaution.
