UCLA staff stacked sandbags to protect Pauley Pavilion early Sunday after an underground water line broke in Westwood, causing water to gush so powerfully it took down two trees and shuttered Sunset Boulevard between Veteran and Hilgard avenues.
The break happened around 2 a.m. under Sunset Boulevard near Westwood Plaza and involved a large 30” water main, and water began to enter the UCLA campus from the south.
LADWP crews were working to repair the main Sunday morning, but there was no estimate of when the problem would be resolved and the streets reopened.
Drivers were asked to find alternate routes around the street closures and bus riders were directed to the Metro Alerts Twitter account for updates.
The flood hasn't impacted student housing, but could affect other campus facilities in the immediate area, according to LA Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey.
UCLA students can get updates from the school here.
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Humphrey said a residential property to the north of Sunset did take on water.
Video posted to social news site Citizen showed water moving rapidly along the shoulder of a Westwood roadway.
The break occurred not far from a 2014 leak that led to massive flooding, damage and days of campus and street shutdowns.
City News Service contributed to this report.
