SOUTHLAND : Hydrant Gusher in N. Hollywood Washes 10 Families Out of Units

Ten North Hollywood families were homeless this morning after a jet of water from a broken fire hydrant flooded their apartment building and damaged their units.

Nearly half of the apartments in the 24-unit building at in the 11700 block of Vanowen Street were damaged after a car sheered off the fire hydrant near the curb in front of the units Sunday afternoon, officials said. No one was injured.

A 60-foot-high arc of water shot onto the roof and into the center courtyard of the two-story apartment building.

“It was like a hurricane,” said Wanda Sanchez, manager of the complex. “There was a waterfall coming down off the roof.”

Sanchez said a Department of Water and Power crew turned off the water in about 15 minutes, but not before water leaked through the roof and several apartment ceilings. Water, gas and electricity were turned off in about 12 units, and residents were evacuated to an American Red Cross shelter at nearby Madison Junior High School.

This morning, Red Cross workers toured the apartments to determine whether they are habitable. Nancy Albrecht, a disaster volunteer, said the Red Cross will continue to provide shelter at the school or in motels for families displaced by the accident.

Sanchez said at least seven apartments are badly damaged. In many of the apartments ceilings were crumbling, water pooled on the floors and beds and furniture were drenched.

Ed Freudenburg, a DWP spokesman, said a broken fire hydrant can spew up to 5,000 gallons of water per minute. He said it was unusual for a hydrant break to result in water shooting into a nearby property. The hydrants are design to break off completely so the water shoots straight up and then falls down on the curb area, he said.