Water main ruptures on Sunset Blvd in Echo Park

ECHO PARK, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A water main ruptured in Echo Park early Tuesday morning, sending murky water into several businesses and at least one apartment complex.

An eight-inch water main near the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Alvarado Street burst at about 3 a.m. The water was shut down and several streets in the area were closed, as DWP crews worked to fix the leak.

Ten to 15 businesses and an apartment building were affected. Service was expected to be restored by mid-afternoon.

Eric and Wanda Ramos saw their store on the news and rushed down to find an estimated $200,000 worth of damage to their shop, which carries unique, historical items from the 1920s and 1930s.

"There's several items that have already been sold that are waiting for people to come from other states to pick them up, so we are running into a little bit of a problem," Wanda Ramos said of Eric's Architectural Salvage.

The water main was built in 1908, an official said.

"It is an old pipe. This is part of our aging infrastructure that you hear about," said John Cox of the DWP.

The cause of the water-main break has not been determined.

Another water main burst in Brentwood at about 1 a.m., but there were no reports of damage.