(KTLA-TV)
VALLEY VILLAGE -- A Los Angeles City fire engine is finally back on solid ground after being swallowed by a huge sinkhole in the San Fernando Valley.
The 6-inch water pipe burst around 5:20 a.m. Tuesday near the intersection of Hartsook Street and Bellingham Avenue, east of Laurel Canyon Boulevard and south of Magnolia Boulevard in the Valley Village area, according to DWP spokeswoman Kim Hughes.
It wasn't until 8:30 p.m. that 40 customers who lost water had it restored, according to Joseph Ramallo of the Department of Water and Power.
Engine 60, with a crew of four, was responding to an "unknown water problem in the street" when the roadway buckled, swallowing the truck, Capt. Steve Ruda told KTLA.
Ruda said the engine had already made it across the area when the veteran Captain inside decided they should back out.
Two firefighters were sent off the rig to help back the truck out while the Captain and engineer stayed inside the cabin, he said.
As the 42,000-pound engine was reversing, the roadway swallowed the vehicle nose-first. The Captain and engineer climbed out of windows before the vehicle sank deeper into the muddy water-filled hole.
All firefighters were uninjured.
A car parked on the street would not start because of the water damage, one resident told KTLA.
Water service in the area was shut off while tow trucks prepared to pull the engine out of the hole.
Crews were also inspecting for possible damages to gas and sewer lines in the area.
Traffic on Laurel Canyon Boulevard has not been affected by the incident.
The water main break is located just a few miles away from another pipe that burst Saturday in Studio City, forcing the closure of the heavily-traveled Coldwater Canyon Avenue.
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said the two sinkhole ruptures did not appear to be related, noting that the latest pipe to be affected was installed in 1969.
"Let me say how thankful I am that nobody was injured, that the firefighters in that truck were able to extricate themselves safely, because anybody who's gone to visit the site can tell you that could've been an absolutely horrific disaster," Villaraigosa said. "But thanks to God and their good work they were able to get out without any injury."
The mayor said the city has a five-year plan to repair and replace old pipes, but the city would need more money to make the upgrades.
"I know there are some funds to do this but it is a very expensive proposition, and as I've said on a national TV interview, L.A. is not alone in grappling with infrastructure challenges, whether they're sewers, whether they're the electric grid, whether it's our roads, highways, our bridges," he said. "They are in disrepair in big cities across the country. And one of the reasons why cities have pleaded with the federal government here is precisely because cities can't pay for infrastructure projects of this magnitude without a great, great deal of sacrifice."
Ruda said the radio and computer system in the cab of the $500,000 fire engine was probably damaged. He said the truck was salvageable.
The 6-inch water pipe burst around 5:20 a.m. Tuesday near the intersection of Hartsook Street and Bellingham Avenue, east of Laurel Canyon Boulevard and south of Magnolia Boulevard in the Valley Village area, according to DWP spokeswoman Kim Hughes.
It wasn't until 8:30 p.m. that 40 customers who lost water had it restored, according to Joseph Ramallo of the Department of Water and Power.
Engine 60, with a crew of four, was responding to an "unknown water problem in the street" when the roadway buckled, swallowing the truck, Capt. Steve Ruda told KTLA.
Ruda said the engine had already made it across the area when the veteran Captain inside decided they should back out.
Two firefighters were sent off the rig to help back the truck out while the Captain and engineer stayed inside the cabin, he said.
As the 42,000-pound engine was reversing, the roadway swallowed the vehicle nose-first. The Captain and engineer climbed out of windows before the vehicle sank deeper into the muddy water-filled hole.
All firefighters were uninjured.
A car parked on the street would not start because of the water damage, one resident told KTLA.
Water service in the area was shut off while tow trucks prepared to pull the engine out of the hole.
Crews were also inspecting for possible damages to gas and sewer lines in the area.
Traffic on Laurel Canyon Boulevard has not been affected by the incident.
The water main break is located just a few miles away from another pipe that burst Saturday in Studio City, forcing the closure of the heavily-traveled Coldwater Canyon Avenue.
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said the two sinkhole ruptures did not appear to be related, noting that the latest pipe to be affected was installed in 1969.
"Let me say how thankful I am that nobody was injured, that the firefighters in that truck were able to extricate themselves safely, because anybody who's gone to visit the site can tell you that could've been an absolutely horrific disaster," Villaraigosa said. "But thanks to God and their good work they were able to get out without any injury."
The mayor said the city has a five-year plan to repair and replace old pipes, but the city would need more money to make the upgrades.
"I know there are some funds to do this but it is a very expensive proposition, and as I've said on a national TV interview, L.A. is not alone in grappling with infrastructure challenges, whether they're sewers, whether they're the electric grid, whether it's our roads, highways, our bridges," he said. "They are in disrepair in big cities across the country. And one of the reasons why cities have pleaded with the federal government here is precisely because cities can't pay for infrastructure projects of this magnitude without a great, great deal of sacrifice."
Ruda said the radio and computer system in the cab of the $500,000 fire engine was probably damaged. He said the truck was salvageable.
