Busted hydrant turned Islands Restaurant at La Cumbre Plaza into an island
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - No rain this past weekend but plenty of water in one part of Santa Barbara. A massive fountain spouted up in the parking lot at La Cumbre Plaza Sunday afternoon, thanks to a busted hydrant.
Firefighters were on scene within minutes.
Witnesses say a man driving the wrong way decided to back up and turn around, accidentally slamming into the hydrant that he never saw.
A viewer eating at the Islands Restaurant sent us video clips of the scene, which appeared to show the restaurant taking brunt of the watery impact.
(Photo: E. Lynch)
James Witmer, the restaurant's manager, said the water gushed for a good 45-minutes, turning the parking lot into a lake and the Islands restaurant, well, into an island for a short time. Witmer didn't hear how much water ended up flowing out.
"It was a lot, felt like it was a storm," Witmer said.
Witmer said they likely lost a few customers for an hour or so since it was nearly impossible to get through the front door as water seeped in to the entrance area.
Witmer said the driver stayed on scene and no one was hurt.
