Some Santa Barbara residents living on Ladera, West Montecito and West Gutierrez streets were woken up at 4:20 a.m. Thursday to mud and debris spilling down roads and sidewalks.
Firefighters went to the 300 block of Ladera Street and found water percolating through the asphalt in between a condominium complex and McKinley Elementary School, according to Robert Mercado, battalion chief of the Santa Barbara City Fire Department.
The source was a 12-inch cast iron pipe that was installed in 1963, according to Theresa Lancy, the acting water distribution superintendent.
An emergency services worker from the city was able to shut off the main, significantly slowing the water flow at 5:15 a.m.
See more details and photos in Friday’s News-Press.
