Calif. Water Main Leak Forces Fire Truck Relocation

Jan. 18--A break in an 8-inch water main in front of a Ventura fire station caused street flooding and road closures this afternoon, authorities said.

Firefighting resources from the station also were moved to a nearby parking lot due to concern about the stability of the pavement in front of the station, and they remained available to respond to emergencies, officials said.

The main break was reported about 1:45 p.m. in front of Fire Station 5, near the intersection of Main Street and Donlon Street in Ventura.

A fire captain spotted the leak and notified the city's water department, said Battalion Chief Jack Hansen of the Ventura City Fire Department.

Water was coming up from between cracks in the concrete, and it flooded part of the street in front of the fire station, Hansen said. Members of the water department responded along with Ventura police and California Highway Patrol officers, Hansen said.

Concerned about the stability of concrete in front of the station, authorities moved a firetruck, an engine and an Urban Search and Rescue vehicle from the fire station to a nearby parking lot, Hansen said.

City officials turned off the water within about 30 minutes, Hansen said.

A portion of westbound Main Street was closed from Telephone Road to Callens Road, and the Telephone Road offramp from Highway 101 southbound also was shut down, Hansen said. The CHP reported on its website that the offramp would be shut for at least 12 hours.

Crews were working this afternoon to isolate the leak and repair the 8-inch cast iron water pipe, which was installed in the 1960s, said Nancy Broschart, a management analyst for Ventura Water.

They were also working to identify the cause of the break, she said.

Cast iron becomes brittle as it ages, and that sometimes causes failures, but Broschard said she didn't know what happened in this case.

Officials were aiming to have the repairs completed by 1 a.m. Thursday, she said.