Residents of two Los Angeles neighborhoods woke up to water gushing through their streets after pipes burst overnight in East Los Angeles and the Mid-City area.
The first of the two breaks was reported to fire officials at about 3:45 a.m in East LA. An 8-inch pipe broke in the 1900 block of Isabel Street, affecting two hydrants and 20 residential homes. Water is expected to be restored to the area at about 3 p.m.
Water was turned off for about 30 customers in Mid-City at approximately 6:45 a.m. after a 6-inch cast iron pipe burst in the 4800 block of St. Charles Place.
Nathaniel Fougner, who lives in Mid-City, woke up to the sound of gushing water and called the fire department just before 6 a.m.
"I didn't realize where the sound was coming from, but now seeing how awful, how bad this is, especially considering the drought conditions in California, this is an absolute disaster," Fougner said.
Fire officials could not give an estimate when water would be restored to the area.
"This is crazy," Fougner said. "Never seen anything like it."
