KTLA

Water main break drenches residential street in Encino

An intersection in a residential neighborhood in Encino was blocked by fire crews Monday afternoon after a broken water main flooded the roadway.

The break happened around 3:10 p.m. on the 5300 block of Andasol Avenue, according to Bryan Humphrey, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Fire Department.

Video from Sky5 showed an LAFD fire truck blocking off an intersection as water flowed down the street and onto the sidewalk in the direction of the 101 Freeway.

No structures were immediately affected by the break, Humphrey said, and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power was called to the area to assist.

By the time Sky5 arrived at the scene, the water appeared to be slowing down as crews apparently made progress in closing off the leak.

It’s unclear at this time what caused the water main to break or how much water was spilled.

The water main break comes in the midst of an historic drought which has seen millions of Los Angeles County residents have to cut back on usage, including strict limits on sprinklers and lawns.

Just last month, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which provides water to about 40% of the state’s population, declared a water shortage emergency and called for millions of people to reduce watering their yards to just one day a week.