Water main break triggers street closures and flooding in West Hollywood
36-inch water main break in West Hollywood floods streets and triggers closures.
Event / Disaster
West Hollywood Water Main Break
A 36-inch water main ruptured in West Hollywood on July 16, 2026, causing flooding across multiple streets including Sunset Boulevard and Santa Monica Boulevard, with sinkholes, vehicle and property damage, and street closures.
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2026-08-15 to 2026-11-12 · UTC publication dates
Coverage begins 17 Jul, 02:30 UTC
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What happened
Multiple street closures implemented in West Hollywood following water main break
Following the water main break, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department implemented multiple street closures to traffic and pedestrians. Closed streets included Sunset Boulevard eastbound between Larrabee Street and Sherbourne Drive, Holloway Drive eastbound between Sunset Boulevard and Westmount Drive, Santa Monica Boulevard eastbound between San Vicente Boulevard and Hancock Drive, and Larrabee Street, Palm Avenue, and Hancock Avenue in both directions between Sunset Boulevard and Santa Monica Boulevard.
Los Angeles Department of Water and Power responds to water main break
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power dispatched crews to the scene just before 4 a.m. to address the water main break. Due to the highly pressurized water system, crews had to carefully and methodically close large diameter valves located underground to turn off the water while avoiding further damage. The water flow continued for several hours as crews worked to shut off and assess the damage.
Massive sinkhole opens on Sunset Boulevard from water main break
A large sinkhole opened on Sunset Boulevard as a result of the water main break. Two men were reported to have fallen into the sinkhole that opened in the immediate aftermath of the break.
36-inch water main breaks in West Hollywood near Sunset Boulevard and Holloway Drive
A 36-inch water main owned by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power ruptured early Thursday morning around 3 a.m. near the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Holloway Drive in West Hollywood. The break released thousands of gallons of water that rushed down streets and flooded surrounding areas.
Water main break floods multiple streets in West Hollywood including Sunset Boulevard, Santa Monica Boulevard, and Palm Avenue
The ruptured water main caused flooding across multiple major streets in West Hollywood. Water flowed down Sunset Boulevard, Holloway Drive, Santa Monica Boulevard, Palm Avenue, and Hancock Avenue. The flooding transformed streets into rushing rivers with strong currents that damaged parked cars and affected multiple neighborhoods.
Water main break floods apartment building parking garages and bus yard in West Hollywood
The flooding inundated underground parking garages of neighborhood apartment buildings, turning them into shallow lakes. A bus yard located at Santa Monica Boulevard and San Vicente Boulevard was also flooded, causing damage to vehicles and transportation infrastructure.
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