Water main break, geyser flood UCLA campus, strand motorists

A major water main ruptured underneath a street near the University of California, Los Angeles on Tuesday, spewing a geyser that flooded parts of the campus and stranded motorists on surrounding streets.

The water flowed across the north end of the campus, submerging athletic fields and pouring into an underground parking structure, where crews helped motorists whose cars were caught in water up to their wheel wells, Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey said.

Humphrey said there were no injuries reported in the flooding but that fire department swift water rescue teams were on scene as a precaution.

He said the athletic fields and possibly some classrooms would likely suffer water damage, although it was too early to estimate.

Local television images showed students wading through knee-deep water as the geyser continued to pour water onto nearby Sunset Boulevard. Firefighters placed sandbags outside of classrooms and aided drivers stuck in water and mud.

Sunset, a major thoroughfare through the city’s west side, was shut down in both directions, jamming traffic during the afternoon rush-hour commute.

The city’s Department of Water said workers were working to shut down multiple valves that would stop the water from flowing from the 30-inch main without breaking any nearby pipes.

Mayor Eric Garcetti said that it would take a full hour to shut off water in the ruptured pipe, which dates to 1921.

The water main break poured thousands of gallons of water onto the UCLA campus and nearby streets as California suffers through a record drought that has prompted state and local authorities to impose water-use restrictions on residents.