Broken Water Valve Floods Courthouse

A water valve burst Tuesday on the roof of the downtown Criminal Courts Building, causing water damage to at least four floors and forcing dozens of courthouse employees to leave early.

The presence of asbestos in the courthouse was complicating the cleanup process, said Los Angeles Fire Capt. Fred Lopez.

A loud bang rang through the upper floors of the courthouse when the valve burst about 3:17 p.m. Within minutes, water began seeping into several offices.

The water damaged some computers in the district attorney’s and public defender’s offices on the 16th through 19th floors, Lopez said. It caused ceiling tiles to collapse in the offices, which are on the floors above the building’s courtrooms and holding cell areas.

Lopez said about a foot of water had accumulated on the top of the building when the water was shut off less than an hour later. The broken valve was part of a water hose kept on top of the building.

He said firefighters pumped most of the water off the roof and a hazardous-materials team was called to remove the water contaminated by asbestos.