Geyser From Hydrant : Store Flooded as Roof Collapses

The roof of a Sun Valley stereo store collapsed and the store was flooded early Sunday after a fire hydrant was sheared off by a hit-and-run driver, Los Angeles City Fire Department officials said.

A spectacular fountain of water from the sheared-off hydrant spewed onto the roof of Speaker City Components at 7602 N. San Fernando Road. The weight of the water caused the roof of the 50-by-100-foot building to collapse, flooding the store, Fire Department spokesman Jim Wells said.

The building was unoccupied at the time of the incident and no one was injured, Wells said. Merchandise was floating in the water inside the one-story building.

One engine company was sent to the scene shortly after 2 a.m., but firefighters could do nothing until the water drained from the structure, Wells said. The hydrant was shut off by workers from the Department of Water and Power.

Although damage to the building’s interior was heavy, fire officials said they had no estimate on the cost of the damage to the store and its merchandise.

“Because the damage was caused by water, we didn’t have much to do,” said a Fire Department spokesman. “We’ll have to leave damage estimates to the owner and his insurance company.”

The owner of Speaker City could not be reached for comment.

No one has been arrested in the hit-and-run incident, said Officer Tom Kendall of the Los Angeles Police Department.