LIVE: Major water main break in West Hollywood floods streets, submerges cars

WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. - A massive, early-morning water main rupture flooded major corridors of West Hollywood on Thursday, buckling streets, collapsing sidewalks, and triggering widespread traffic gridlock. 

Emergency crews worked for nearly three hours to methodically shut down the pressurized pipeline, leaving local residents facing transit detours and key transportation routes closed for the foreseeable future.

What we know:

The Los Angeles County Fire Department reported that the massive 36-inch water main began gushing water around 3:15 a.m. near the intersection of N. Palm Avenue and Harratt Street. 

Highly pressurized water quickly flooded local streets, stretching from Sunset Boulevard and Holloway Drive down to Santa Monica Boulevard.

The torrent turned the Metro bus yard at San Vicente Boulevard into a shallow lake, buckled local pavement, and completely submerged more than a dozen vehicles in an underground garage at 1023 Hancock. 

Due to heavy erosion, a sidewalk on Palm Avenue just south of Sunset Boulevard caved in, creating a massive sinkhole. 

A witness captured video of two pedestrians walking on top of the sidewalk as it collapsed right under their feet, falling two to three feet deep into the sinkhole before climbing out uninjured.

Despite the severity of the break, local drinking water services remain fully functional and safe, according to officials. However, FOX 11 spoke to some residents in the area who claimed they do not have water. 

During a press conference Thursday morning, LADWP officials reported only one customer was affected, and that they are working on establishing a temporary connection for them. 

Some nearby fire hydrants are affected, and utility crews are coordinating with the fire department to identify them. 

West Hollywood Mayor John Heilman and Vice Mayor Danny Hang confirmed that all residents are safe, and while an evacuation zone was established as a precaution, no residents have been forced to leave their homes.

Road closures

Eastbound Sunset Boulevard is shut down between Larrabee Street and Sherbourne Drive, while eastbound Holloway Drive, eastbound Santa Monica Boulevard, and multiple surrounding residential streets are closed northbound and southbound.

Transit delays

Anyone relying on LA Metro lines 2, 4, 10, 14, 16, 20, 105, 134, 602, and 627 should check real-time service alerts on the Metro app to navigate detour-related delays. 

Northbound and westbound buses will layover on San Vicente Boulevard in front of the Pacific Design Center, while eastbound and southbound routes detour via Robertson Boulevard.

What we don't know:

While high nighttime pressure on the aging 1916 pipe is the suspected cause, officials have not yet officially identified the exact trigger that caused the utility main to fracture. 

It is also currently unclear how many apartment buildings, condominiums, and local business properties sustained interior structural or water damage from the localized flooding.

There is no estimated timeline for when the 36-inch trunk line will be repaired and returned to service, as crews must first pump the water out of the sinkhole to fully assess the pipe's condition.

Dig deeper:

The incident highlights a larger issue for the region: its rapidly aging utility grid. 

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass noted that the city has historically lacked a unified, city-wide infrastructure strategy, leaving repairs to be managed on a disjointed, council-by-council basis. 

To address this, Bass highlighted her newly developed comprehensive infrastructure plan—the first of its kind for the city—which recently cleared the City Council and will head to the ballot in November, aiming to reform the City Charter to enable coordinated, large-scale upgrades.

Timeline:

2:30 a.m. – 3 a.m.: The leak first occurs on the 1916 riveted steel trunk line.

3:15 a.m.: The water main rupture is officially reported in the area of N. Palm Avenue and Harratt Street.

3:55 a.m.: LADWP receives the official incident report and dispatches emergency water crews.

5 a.m.: Utility crews arrive at the scene to begin the delicate process of identifying and slowly closing underground valves.

6:45 a.m.: LACoFD confirms the pipeline belongs to LADWP and notes that the water flow has significantly slowed.

7 a.m.: The water flow completely stops, leaving behind heavily buckled roadways, a large sinkhole, and collapsed sidewalks.

What they're saying:

The LADWP released the following statement in response: 

"LADWP is responding to the water main break affecting West Hollywood and the surrounding area near Sunset Boulevard, Holloway Drive and area streets. 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. 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. We thank your patience and understanding as we respond to this incident. We will provide more information as soon as available."

Los Angeles County Fire Department Capt. Aaron Katon emphasized caution for nearby residents.

"So as you can see, the leak is shut off. Then over to our left, or my left, not long ago, it looked like something from Water Park. Now, there's no water, which is great. The water companies have done a fantastic job of shutting that off. But as far as residents keeping themselves safe, don't assume that if you're walking down a sidewalk or certainly a street near this area, don't just assume it's automatically safe. Take your morning easier. Let the experts get out there, do some damage assessment, then the day can continue."

Bass commented on the difficulty and impact of the water main break on commuters and residents.

"At this point in time, we believe that is the main challenge that commuters will face and that residents will face. So, as you can see, this is a major water break impacting the area while the water is now off. Everyone should avoid the area as the DWP crews work urgently to address this situation. City crews are on site, obviously, and have been on site since the very beginning. They're working urgently, and they have been for the last several hours, to turn off the water here and assess the damage," she said. 

"These are highly pressurized pipes, so crews needed to work very carefully to avoid any further damage. Law enforcement and traffic officers will remain on the ground as crews continue to make progress on this incident. DWP will also have personnel on the ground to assist with damage assessments and claims. I want to thank our crews, all of our crews, especially at DWP, for working urgently to respond to this incident. And again, I have to urge everyone to avoid this area. 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," Bass added.

West Hollywood Mayor John Heilman said as a precaution, an evacuation zone has been set up, but at this time evacuations are not necessary.

"The good news is that all of our residents, to our knowledge, are safe. There was some street flooding this morning, some 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. We continue to assess, we will continue to work with DWP, but as Mayor Bass said earlier, what we really need from people is to avoid this area of Sunset. Sunset is closed. There are major traffic disruptions in the area. We will continue to notify people of those traffic disruptions and alternative routes," Heilman said.

What's next:

Sunset and Santa Monica Boulevards, along with surrounding residential streets, will remain closed through the day and potentially overnight as crews work to repair buckled asphalt, collapsed sidewalks, and the massive sinkhole left in the wake of the rupture. 

Before these major transit corridors can safely reopen, LADWP crews must first pump water out of the sinkhole to fully inspect the fractured 1916 pipeline, while structural engineers and property managers work to clear flooded garages, residential buildings, and local businesses. 

Local officials, including Heilman, are monitoring the traffic disruptions, and LADWP personnel will remain on the ground to assist impacted residents with damage assessments and claims, which can be filed at ladwp.com/claims.

What you can do:

Stay indoors: Residents in the immediate vicinity of Palm Avenue, Harratt Street, or Sunset Boulevard should stay inside and avoid walking or driving through areas that were heavily inundated.

Avoid the area: Commuters must find alternative routes and avoid the Sunset and Santa Monica Boulevard corridors in West Hollywood entirely.

Expect transit delays: Anyone relying on LA Metro lines 2, 4, 10, 14, 16, 20, 105, 134, 602, and 627 should check real-time service alerts on the Metro app to navigate detour-related delays.

Affected property owners and residents can submit claims directly online at ladwp.com/claims.

West HollywoodInstastories