Broken water main floods Newport Beach garage; cars completely submerged

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. (KABC) -- A broken water main caused massive flooding at a parking garage in Newport Beach early Wednesday morning, completely submerging at least five vehicles.

The break occurred in the 4100 block of MacArthur Boulevard right at the entrance of the underground parking structure, which is just down the street from John Wayne Airport.

Security personnel noticed water leaking around 12:30 a.m., but it was not until fire alarms went off around 1:30 a.m. when crews responded to the scene.

The cause of the break was not immediately known. The 10-inch pipe, which officials believe was installed in the 1980s, is property of the Irvine Ranch Water District.

The parking structure serves a business complex, not an apartment building. Firefighters said at least five cars appeared to be submerged, but the exact number of damaged cars was not immediately known.

Crews were seen trying to pump water out of the garage, which has a clearance of 6 feet 9 inches. The water appeared to nearly reach the garage ceiling.

Newport Beach police shut down the westbound lanes of Von Karman Avenue between MacArthur Boulevard and Birch Street due to the flooding. Streets have since reopened, but authorities warned commuters that traffic could be congested throughout the cleanup process.