Water main break floods some streets in Venice

A massive water main break in Venice sent water flooding into several streets Friday as more than 50 firefighters responded to the scene.

The break happened about 12:20 p.m. at 223 Carrol Canal Walk, where water was shut off at the 6-inch cast iron main shortly after 1 p.m., said MaryAnn Pierson, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.

Firefighters spent the afternoon trying to remove water from some streets and homes, where several basements had reportedly flooded. Sandbags were going to be brought in to absorb and channel the water.

“It’s pretty widespread and significant water flow in the area,” said Matt Spence, spokesman for the Los Angeles Fire Department. “But we don’t know the extent of the damage or how many occupants were affected.”

A few streets were temporarily closed but have since reopened. A number of residents were also without water, but Pierson said it was too soon to tell how many. She also said it was not clear what caused the break.

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Photo: Map shows approximate location of incident in black. Credit: Los Angeles Times / Mapping LA