A major water main break in West Hollywood flooded streets, damaged parked cars and sent water rushing into homes and apartment buildings early Thursday, prompting multiple roadway closures and emergency response efforts across the area.
The rupture occurred around 2:30 a.m. in a 36-inch steel pipe at the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Holloway Drive, according to Anselmo Collins, chief operating officer at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. The city of West Hollywood said water was shut off in the area by around 7:30 a.m. local time after the break was first reported, and the city’s Department of Public Works quickly deployed personnel to the scene.
The city said Thursday that it is now working with the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and the Metropolitan Water District to determine next steps, and that there is currently no timeline for water main repairs.
Flooding spreads down hillside streets
The ruptured water main sits just below Sunset Boulevard in an area where the terrain rises steadily from the flatter stretch near Santa Monica Boulevard toward the Sunset Strip and the Hollywood Hills.
The intersection where Sunset Boulevard meets Holloway Drive and Palm Avenue became the center of the flooding. Footage shot from a helicopter by ABC7 showed water rushing down Palm Avenue for several blocks to Santa Monica Boulevard. Cars parked on Palm Avenue were seen with water over their hoods, and homes were flooded as torrents moved through the neighborhood.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass was on the scene in West Hollywood Thursday morning to assess the damage. During a morning press conference, officials said crews were on site working urgently to shut off the water and evaluate the damage. Bass said the work had to be done carefully because crews were dealing with highly pressurized pipes.
“I have to urge everyone to avoid this area,” Bass said. “We will provide more information as progress is made. And let me also say that this is one of the challenges when our infrastructure is so old — it’s my understanding that these pipes are over 100 years old.”
West Hollywood Mayor John Heilman said at the press conference that residents were safe and would not need to evacuate.
“The good news is that all of our residents, to our knowledge, are safe,” he said. “There was some street flooding this morning, some sub-garages that were flooded, but that seems to be abating. Our city staff responded immediately. We have set up an evacuation zone, if that appears to be necessary. But at this time, it does not appear that any of our residents will have to evacuate.”
Road closures and transit disruptions
The public was urged not to drive in the area, and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department issued a Nixle advisory around 5 a.m. Thursday listing several road closures: Eastbound Santa Monica Boulevard is closed between San Vicente Boulevard and Hancock Avenue. Eastbound Holloway Drive is closed between Sunset Boulevard and Westmount Drive. Eastbound Sunset Boulevard is closed between Larrabee Street and Sherbourne Drive. Larrabee Street, Palm Avenue and Hancock Avenue are closed northbound and southbound between Sunset and Santa Monica Boulevards.
A massive sinkhole also opened on a West Hollywood sidewalk near Sunset Boulevard after the streets became flooded, according to KTLA. The local news channel reported that two men fell into the sinkhole. A line of cars could be seen passing the area as neighborhood residents and commuters headed to work during the morning rush.
A West Hollywood bus yard below Santa Monica Boulevard was also inundated with water. Officials with Los Angeles Metro said the flooding would affect bus service in the area. On bus lines 16 and 105, northbound and westbound buses will lay over on San Vicente Boulevard in front of the Pacific Design Center. Eastbound and southbound buses will detour via Robertson Boulevard between Santa Monica Boulevard and Melrose Avenue, the agency said Thursday.
Utility crews activate emergency response
Chief Operating Officer and Senior Assistant General Manager Dave Hanson said the emergency command center for the Department of Water and Power had been activated, opening communication with the city emergency management department and West Hollywood.
“We’d like to extend our apologies to the community for the impact that this has had on you. Luckily, at this time, we don’t have services that are out, so everybody does have clean water that’s safe to drink,” Hanson said.
Officials said crews were continuing to work the scene as the flooding began to subside, but the full extent of the damage and the repair timeline remained unclear.
