Sheared hydrant floods St. Michael's school in Studio City

Sophie Flay Image
Wednesday, June 14, 2023
Sheared hydrant floods St. Michael's school in Studio City
A sheared hydrant created a watery mess for St. Michael's school in Studio City, flooding at least five classrooms.

STUDIO CITY, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Several classrooms at an unoccupied church school in Studio City flooded due to a nearby sheared fire hydrant.

It happened at the Saint Michael & All Angels Episcopal Church in the 3900 block of North Avenida Del Sol Tuesday evening.

According to the Los Angeles Fire Department, as many as five unoccupied classrooms of the church were impacted.

The preschool teachers were the only ones in the facility at the time but no one was injured.

"I got a call from Sunnyside Preschool and I responded, I only live two miles away from the church and so when I got here, I could see everything," said Father Dan Justin. "I'm up to my thighs and water."

It's unclear what caused the incident but LAFD said someone may have hit the hydrant.

"Somebody going up Avenida Del Sol, probably a pickup truck, moving truck, something like that, they hit a hydrant, knocked it off ... that's a high pressure hydrogen," explained LAFD Battalion Chief Scott Hilton.

The first priority in the cleanup process is the church itself.

"We will still have church on Sunday, even if we have to worship in the parking lot, which I don't think we will," said Father Justin. "We'll still have church on Sunday."

Crews with the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power assisted in the investigation. The L.A. Department of Building and Safety will formally evaluate the extent of damage to the buildings.