Stunned residents are speaking out after an out of control, hit-and-run driver slammed into a fire hydrant on Friday morning, causing a geyser of water to flood multiple Riverside homes and uproot nearby trees.
“At about 11 a.m. we were up and about, and my wife heard a noise,” said Hector Lopez, a Riverside resident whose house is closest to the hydrant.
The sheared hydrant spewed out about 30,000 gallons of water for about 30 minutes, the force of the water giving it a far reach into backyards and homes along Brisbane Drive.
Eventually, the Western Municipal Water District shut off the water, but the damage was done, leaving many residents a hefty clean-up and costly repairs.
Riverside Fire officials said the driver of a dark colored SUV, who still remains at large, struck a hydrant on Mission Village Drive and then fled the scene.
Lopez gave KTLA’s Shelby Nelson a tour of his damaged home, explaining that his front room, kitchen and bedrooms need to be flushed out.
“The entire floor of the house is waterlogged, that’s going to have to come out,” said Lopez. “They said minimum, it’s going to be four days to clean up and then two to three months to repair everything.”
The water flooded not only Lopez’s home, but also the homes of at least two of his neighbors.
“You can see where it’s splashing down at, it actually splashed up onto the roof and shredded all the trees over there,” said Lopez, pointing to his backyard.
Lopez pointed out that the water also reached a tree that holds sentimental value.
“My grandmother and I planted the mother of the tree in 1972,” said Lopez. “I took a graft of it and planted it. This is a reminder of my grandmother.”
Officials are searching for the driver and, once located, plan to have them reimburse the neighborhood’s reconstruction.
