Geyser From Clipped Hydrant Makes a Soggy Mess of Homes

Al and Ellen Gaspar were entertaining guests in their Rancho Palos Verdes condominium Monday evening when water started seeping through the ceiling of their upstairs bathroom. It wasn’t the rain.

“We ran downstairs to get some pots, but we saw it was just too much water,” Al Gaspar said. By then, the water was pouring through two bedroom ceilings and heating ducts--even through the wiring conduits of light fixtures. It cascaded down the stairs, and put out a fire on a downstairs hearth.

“You don’t expect a flood from the top down,” Gaspar said, likening the experience to “sitting in your car through a carwash.”

He said it was only “misting” outside when the flood began, but when he went out he was drenched by the source of the flood--a massive stream of water shooting from a broken fire hydrant about 30 feet away onto the roof of seven connected town homes at Highridge Road and Ridgegate Drive. It had been broken off by a hit-and-run driver about 10:20 p.m.

Mika Osada, 12, said she heard a crash, screaming, looked out and saw fire engines. “It was like a hurricane,” she recalled.

“It all happened so fast,” said Helene Marhefka, who lives next door to the Gaspars. “There were a few drips, and then the ceiling came down on my head. Everything is wet and soggy--floors, ceilings and walls.”

She said she was supposed to cook Thanksgiving dinner next week but won’t be doing so now: “I know my guests are going to tell me I’ll do anything to get out of cooking.”

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department estimated damage to the two-story, beige stucco town homes at $137,000. There were no injuries in what the condominium manager called the “flukey” incident. Investigators are trying to identify the driver of a pickup truck suspected of hitting the hydrant.

Authorities and residents said drains on the flat roof could not handle the massive amount of water and it flowed into the residences through rooftop ventilation ducts, flooding attics and breaking through sheet rock ceilings. Deputies said there was a partial roof collapse, but the condominium management disputed that.

The county Fire Department said 4,500 gallons a minute flowed from the hydrant, but the California Water Service Co. said it could not have been more than 1,500 gallons because of the size of the outlet. Fire officials said the hydrant spouted for about 10 minutes before it was capped.

Debris Piled Outside

On Tuesday, soggy carpeting, broken sheet rock and insulation resembling soaked cotton was piled in front of some of the town homes. Inside, what furniture that had not been moved out was covered with tarpaulins and there was the occasional sound of dripping water. Some residents waited for insurance agents to arrive.

The Gaspars were worried about a houseful of books, art and antique furniture collected by his parents when they lived overseas. Upstairs, an ornate bed they said was brought to Haiti by Napoleon Bonaparte’s son-in-law was covered with mounds of wet insulation, its finish damaged by water.

Edward Marhefka found some humor in his loss, posting a “for lease” sign by his front door. “It happened,” he said. “What can you do? The insurance is taking care of it. It’s a nuisance.”