A fire hydrant burst open near North Vista Street and Willoughby Avenue in Hollywood on Friday morning, sending a geyser of water towering over the neighborhood and flooding the streets below. The water erupted just after 10 a.m., and by the time news helicopters reached the scene minutes later, fire crews were still arriving to deal with the flow.
According to KTLA, LAPD Officer Im said officers received a report of a car hitting a hydrant around 10 a.m. KTLA's Sky5 chopper was overhead by 10:15 a.m. as fire crews arrived, and reporter Rich Prickett described the scene from above, saying, “You can see that geyser well over the rooftops of these homes.”
Conflicting Accounts of the Crash
Exactly what happened to the vehicle involved remains murky, and the two outlets covering the incident don't agree. KTLA reported that it was unclear whether the vehicle fled the scene after the crash, while West Hollywood Online, in its own report on what it described as a hydrant hit-and-run along the city's border with Hollywood, said witnesses reported seeing a black Tesla hit the hydrant, back up and flee. That outlet added that LAPD could not confirm the vehicle's make or model.
The station's report also noted that officers were checking whether a car with visible damage had struck the hydrant, leaving the full circumstances of the collision still under review. Per the same account, police recovered a piece of the car left behind at the scene, though no driver had been publicly identified.
How High the Water Climbed
West Hollywood Online estimated the geyser shot roughly eight to ten stories into the air, continuing to spray above the intersection for upwards of 30 minutes before crews could get it under control. That timeline lines up with the dramatic aerial footage captured by KTLA's helicopter as the water kept climbing well above surrounding rooftops even as firefighters moved in.
Reports also diverged on whether anyone was hurt. KTLA stated that no injuries were reported, while West Hollywood Online said there was no immediate word on whether anyone had been injured or whether police had identified the driver. An investigation into the incident was underway, according to KTLA.
A Decade-Old Echo in Hollywood
Friday's flooding recalled a more dangerous hydrant crash in the same neighborhood over a decade ago. On August 27, 2015, a car sheared a fire hydrant in the 6700 block of Santa Monica Boulevard at about 7 a.m., sending a geyser of water into high-voltage lines and triggering explosions, according to the Daily News. That crash knocked out power to 114 customers, though it too was described as a non-injury accident.
There's no indication the two incidents are connected beyond their shared location, and the evidence does not point to any broader pattern of hydrant collisions in the area. For now, Friday's flooding remains an open case, with investigators still working to pin down what hit the hydrant near North Vista Street and Willoughby Avenue and whether the driver stuck around.
