SEE IT: Century-Old Pipe Bursts, Sending A River Through One Of L.A.’s Most Leftist Enclaves

A massive water main break near the Sunset Strip overnight flooded parts of West Hollywood early Thursday morning, sending a river of water rushing downhill through neighborhoods of one of Los Angeles County’s most leftist enclaves.

Crews responded to the rupture near the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Holloway Drive around 3:55 am. The broken 36-inch water main was just steps from a 15-foot, 700-pound Rocky & Bullwinkle statue, which suddenly found itself overlooking a roaring urban river instead of the usual Sunset Boulevard traffic.

The streets of West Hollywood were flooded Thursday morning after a massive water main break. It looked like white-water rapids for a while and opened a sinkhole near the Sunset Strip. pic.twitter.com/Jne9I8MnFF

— KNX News 1070 AM (@knxnews) July 16, 2026

Reporters on the scene compared the rushing water to “white-water rapids” as it tore downhill and opened a sinkhole in an area better known for celebrity hotspots, restaurants, and luxury hotels.

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

The break unleashed a river of water that barreled downhill from the Sunset Strip, through residential streets, and ultimately flooded parts of Santa Monica Boulevard below. The steep terrain turned what might have been an ordinary water main break into dramatic footage that quickly went viral.

West Hollywood now pic.twitter.com/lMVjat1Dy6

— Aurelia De La Costa (@AureliaLaCosta) July 16, 2026

All of Santa Monica blvd in weho is flooded rn 3am #weho #flooding #losangeles pic.twitter.com/1lOUICwwoL

— padam? (@jigglypuffyyyy) July 16, 2026

ABC7 captured the tense moment when a person was briefly swept off their feet while trying to reach the sidewalk before regaining their footing.

The sheer force of rushing water in West Hollywood temporarily swept away a person who was trying to get to the sidewalk. AIR7 caught the tense moment on video. https://t.co/lZzV7m9pZb pic.twitter.com/SB6GgOH1Q7

— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) July 16, 2026

The floodwaters also inundated a Metro bus yard south of Santa Monica Boulevard, near the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department West Hollywood Station and the Pacific Design Center.

Water main break floods West Hollywood streets, traps carshttps://t.co/y3qIuvHZaf pic.twitter.com/FZ3PpKT8bR

— KTLA 5 Morning News (@KTLAMorningNews) July 16, 2026

Water crews shut down the damaged water main after several hours, leaving behind a massive sinkhole near the rupture.

“Obviously, a lot of people are still in a state of shock,” West Hollywood Mayor John Heilman told the California Post on Thursday morning. “They have had water damage to their sub-garages. Their cars have been significantly damaged. We also have a couple of units that have been impacted. Right now, people are just trying to assess the damage, get people out to help them with repairs and the remediation.”

Mayor Heilman and the Los Angeles County Fire Department said there have been no reports of injuries.

West Hollywood, CA – July 16, 2026: An aerial view of workers viewing a broken water main at Sunset Boulevard and Holloway Drive in West Hollywood that sent water gushing down many streets, closing several of them Thursday, July 16, 2026. The Los Angeles County Fire Department said at 4:37 a.m. that a major water main was broken in the area of Palm Avenue and Harratt Street. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (DWP) owns the water main. Officials said the break occurred on “a riveted steel pipe from 1916,” according to the Los Angeles Times. The City of Los Angeles owns the DWP, although the break occurred in the City of West Hollywood.

Los Angeles Democratic Mayor Karen Bass said the rupture was the consequence of aging infrastructure. “It is my understanding that these pipes are over 100 years old.”