UCLA, Sunset Boulevard flooded after enormous water main break

This isn't something you want to see when the state of California is experiencing a severe drought: a water main break Tuesday afternoon flooded UCLA and Sunset Boulevard with thousands and thousands of gallons of water.

The break on Sunset Boulevard caused a geyser to shoot water 20 to 30 feet into the air, the Los Angeles Times reports. By 5:15 p.m. local time, the water had been flowing for two hours, and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said it would take another hour for the line to be shut down. He also tweeted that the pipe involved in the incident is from 1921.

Three people were trapped inside of their cars, and the water has flooded underground parking lots and UCLA's Pauley Pavilion and athletic fields. Sunset Boulevard remains closed in both directions, adding to the nightmare that is Los Angeles rush hour traffic.

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Television news crews are filming students wading through the water and using boogie boards, which Los Angeles Fire Dept. Capt. Jaime Moore said is "probably one of the most dangerous things you can do. For somebody to try and boogie board in this, it's just going to be an asphalt bath."

--Catherine Garcia