A geyser reached upwards of 200 feet in the air and flooded streets in Montecito Heights and soaked cars, houses and lawns after a hit-and-run driver struck and sheared a hydrant early Tuesday morning.
The hit-and-run hydrant crash was reported just before 2:30 a.m. in the 3600 block of North Monterey Road, according to the Los Angeles Police Department Hollenbeck Division. The driver of a sedan struck a black Jeep and then sheared the fire hydrant behind it, police said.
The heavy water flow flooded nearby cars and damaged a home. Firefighters used a yellow tarp to protect themselves from the pounding water, which was shut off after about an hour.
The driver fled the scene in a black, two-door sports car, police said. There is no description of the driver.