Surveillance footage captured the shocking moment a West Hollywood water main burst, unleashing a flood of water that inundated streets and homes.
New footage obtained by Fox 11 shows a wall of water hitting the patio of the popular Dialog Cafe, as a bystander sitting nearby scrambled for safety.
NEW: Surveillance video obtained by @FOXLA captures the moment a massive water main ruptures in West Hollywood, CA unleashing a wall of water that barrels downhill.
The torrent continued for nearly four hours before it was shut off. pic.twitter.com/Tmz3z9Qhc3
— Matthew Seedorff (@MattSeedorff) July 17, 2026
As the water continues to rush in, it’s seen slowly creeping into the cafe, which suffered “sustained significant damage” from the flooding.
The video was taken around 3:05 a.m. on Thursday, when the water main break devastated residents and destroyed businesses, homes and vehicles.
Dialog Cafe was among the hardest hit businesses in the area, with no reopening date in sight. Aftermath photos showed the cafe covered in mud and debris.
“Right now, our entire focus is on cleaning up, assessing the damage, and doing everything we can to restore the space that has been home to so many memories over the past 15 years,” the business wrote in an emotional Instagram post.
A West Hollywood resident told The California Post about the horrifying moment the flood entered his ground-level home. He said that there was nothing he and his partner could do to protect their belongings, as their apartment was covered in several inches of water.
It’s unclear what exactly caused the leak, but the pipes supplying highly pressurized water are more than 100 years old.
“This is one of the challenges when our infrastructure is so old,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass told reporters at the scene. “It is my understanding that these pipes are over 100 years old.”
West Hollywood Mayor John Heilman said no residents were hurt.
Heilman told The California Post in an interview that the flooding was “significant” after the main broke and the city is going door-to-door to check on buildings and residents.
“Obviously a lot of people are still in a state of shock,” he said. “They have had water damage to their sub-garages. Their cars have been significantly damaged. We also have a couple of units that have been impacted. Right now, people are just trying to assess the damage, get people out to help them with the repairs and the remediation.”
Los Angeles Department of Water and Power crews worked on repairs of the water line overnight into Friday as yellow tape remained around the massive sinkhole.
