Water main break floods businesses in Sherman Oaks

SHERMAN OAKS, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A water main break flooded businesses along a stretch of Ventura Boulevard in Sherman Oaks Thursday.

Thousands of gallons of water bubbling up from under the sidewalk leaked into four businesses during the lunch hour.

"Our next door neighbor actually came over and yelled, 'Call 911, there's a flood,' and I looked outside and about five minutes later all the water started coming inside," said Niki Foy, who works at Salon Beauty Bar.

Firefighters were first on the scene, equipped with sand bags and sawdust to help hold the water back and soak up what seeped into the buildings.

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power said an 8-inch main burst around 12:45 p.m. Dog Bakery manager William Wiebers said he saw the beginning of the rupture when a car parked on Ventura Boulevard drive away.

"As he pulled away we noticed that some water was kind of spouting out where he had just left. Then we saw a crack just start forming about 20, 30 feet down to the right side of the street, and then water just started oozing out," he said.

Officials with LADWP said it's not clear what caused the pipe to fail. Crews inspected the pipes and worked on repairs, shutting down the westbound lanes temporarily.

Michael Chavez with LADWP said the cleanup should be finished around 10 p.m.