A massive water main break sent torrents of water through a West Hollywood neighborhood early Thursday, flooding streets, damaging vehicles, creating a large sinkhole and forcing widespread road closures near the Sunset Strip.
The rupture occurred shortly before 4 a.m. on a 36-inch water transmission pipe operated by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP). The high-pressure break sent water rushing down Palm Avenue and surrounding streets, inundating underground parking garages, stranding vehicles and disrupting traffic across one of the city’s busiest corridors.
Firefighters responded to rescue residents from flooded underground structures while public works crews worked to isolate the damaged pipeline. No serious injuries were immediately reported.
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LADWP officials said water to the damaged line was shut off after crews gradually closed large underground valves to avoid causing additional damage to the aging distribution system. The utility said repair work would begin once floodwaters were pumped out and engineers completed an assessment of the damaged infrastructure.
“We’ll pump the water out of the hole that we have,” LADWP Chief Operating Officer Anselmo Collins said during a news conference. “We’ll make an assessment. That will determine then how long it will take us to make the repairs.”
Collins acknowledged that Los Angeles has an aging water network but said the utility replaces approximately 45 miles of pipeline annually as part of an ongoing infrastructure improvement program. The city maintains roughly 7,400 miles of water pipes.
Authorities closed several major roads, including eastbound Sunset Boulevard between Larrabee Street and Sherbourne Drive, portions of Holloway Drive, Santa Monica Boulevard and Palm Avenue, urging motorists to avoid the area while repairs continue.
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The flooding also damaged multiple parked vehicles, including cars inside underground garages, while a Metro bus was partially submerged in floodwaters. Emergency crews continued inspecting nearby buildings for structural damage throughout the day.
Officials said drinking water remains safe despite the pipe failure, and service interruptions have been limited to a small number of customers directly connected to the damaged main.
The incident is the latest reminder of the challenges facing aging infrastructure across Southern California. Similar water main failures have occurred periodically in the Los Angeles area, prompting renewed calls for accelerated investment in replacing older pipelines before they fail.