Ruptured water main results in 25-foot gusher on street in South LA

SOUTH LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A 12-inch water main ruptured below a street in South Los Angeles on Wednesday, officials said, resulting in a gusher that doused several nearby structures.

The cast-iron pipe broke at 8:37 a.m. on Western Avenue, south of Century Boulevard, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power said.

Aerial video from AIR7 HD showed a geyser rising about 25 feet into the air for nearly an hour before crews shut off the water.

"We couldn't do an initial shut down right away because there's multiple water mains out here," said DWP senior supervisor Eduardo Lopez.

Water gushed into several buildings, including Winnetka Vaden's beauty shop.

"The water just flooded everything here. The fire department came and put sand bags. I had to stand on the chair," Vaden said.

The incident prompted the closure of Western Avenue between Century Boulevard and 103rd Street and left the roadway visibly damaged. DWP says the broken pipe was installed in 1948.

Forty customers in the area, including apartment residents and nearby businesses, were without service for hours, DWP said. By 4 p.m., the pipe was repaired, and water service was restored.