A water main break near the historic canal district, threatened several residential blocks with severe water damage today, before fire and water officials were able to stabilize the incident. No one was injured. Just after 1:00 pm on Friday, May 11, 2012, the Los Angeles Fire Department was dispatched to the 200 block of Carroll Canal for a reported “Flooding”. They were met by representatives from the Department of Water and Power (DWP), who were already working diligently to shut-down a broken 6 inch water main. This particular water main was less than 20 years-old, having been installed in 1993.
With rising waters now running down the middle of the street, additional resources were called to assist with first, diverting the water and then, the de-watering operations that would ultimately ensue. 55 Firefighters, under the command of Battalion Chief Michael Bowman, worked together to prevent thousands of gallons of water from damaging the 200, 300 and 400 blocks between Carroll Canal and South Venice Boulevard.
For nearly two hours, the LAFD continued de-watering operations, utilizing various technical appliances. DWP successfully shut down the main, water levels stabilized and then finally began to retreat. As a precaution, electrical power to the immediate area was also temporarily shut.
While dozens of occupancies were spared, there were two structures that unfortunately did sustain “significant damage”. Dollar loss estimates were not yet available. No injuries were reported and no residents were displaced.
The cause of the break is being actively investigated by DWP. Additionally, clean-up work continues by DWP, as do their efforts to safely restore both utilities to the affected area.
Article courtesy of Los Angeles Fire Department.
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