Residents of the city of West Hollywood, California, woke to a frightening scene Thursday morning: a raging river right outside their doors.
The torrent came courtesy of a massive 36" water main that burst in the wee hours and caused street flooding, cars rammed together by the force of the rushing water, and sinkholes. Businesses and apartments were inundated, and the damage appears to be devastating.
My first LA apartment was right smack in the middle of the area; it’s a scene I never would have imagined:
Several streets in West Hollywood are being inundated with fast-moving water following a water main break. Here's a look at the widespread impact of the rushing water from AIR7. https://t.co/bUUdle70vp pic.twitter.com/h4UNHVWd22
— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) July 16, 2026
As if closed streets, flooded businesses, and raging waters weren’t enough, residents have another worry: sinkholes.
Two men fell into a sinkhole that opened on a sidewalk after a massive water main break in West Hollywood on Thursday morning.
“I’m astounded by the massive sinkhole that has just opened up before our eyes,” KTLA’s Annie Rose Ramos reported while standing on Palm Avenue near Sunset Boulevard around 7 a.m.
A witness who recorded video of the incident shared the footage on air with Annie Rose and described what happened.
“I was taking video of the water, and I watched two people walk down, right by the tree there, and they just fell right into the hole. All of the concrete just fell right in,” the man said.
A massive sinkhole opened up on a West Hollywood sidewalk following a water main break that has flooded the streets of the area. A witness told KTLA 5's @AnnieRoseNews that two men fell into that sinkhole moments earlier. pic.twitter.com/8XeMcd51hv
— KTLA (@KTLA) July 16, 2026
The maelstrom hit the famed Sunset Strip, home to iconic hotspots such as the Whisky a Go Go, The Roxy, and the Chateau Marmont Hotel. The area was already struggling, with empty stores and low foot traffic, due to changing consumer habits following COVID and rising rents that have forced out some of the legendary music clubs and mom-and-pop shops that gave the strip its identity.
This certainly is not going to help.
West Hollywood now pic.twitter.com/lMVjat1Dy6
— Aurelia De La Costa (@AureliaLaCosta) July 16, 2026
Because it’s a main line that broke, it’s not going to be an easy or quick fix:
Los Angeles County Fire Department Capt. Aaron Katon also exclaimed at the amount of water coming out of the water main at the scene.
“Look at the volume of water coming out, this is one of the big ones,” he told KTLA. Firefighters also told the outlet that they are working to turn off the water, and people should stay out of the area.
The LA County Fire Department also called it a “major water main break” in the area of Palm and Harratt in West Hollywood and has units on the scene.
Water crews were trying to determine which agency controls the burst main, according to the Los Angeles Times. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power wrote in a press release that they are “aware” of the main break and “water crews have been onsite working to carefully and methodically close large diameter valves located underground to turn off the water and assess and repair the damage.”
“Due to the highly pressurized water system, our crews must turn valves slowly and carefully to avoid causing further damage,” they added.
They finally got it shut down around 7 a.m.
Although the city is actively upgrading its aging 7,300-mile pipe system, at least 30 percent of the distribution mainlines are over 80 years old. Pipe breaks are relatively common, but they’re usually in smaller branch lines and are quickly dealt with.
This one is going to present a major headache. It’s too early to blame the fiasco on LA’s failed leadership — facts are still coming in — but one can't help but feel it’s yet another sign that the fortunes of the Golden State are sinking.
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