Suspected impaired driver hits Santa Barbara fire hydrant

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Lots of water went down the drain Tuesday night in Santa Barbara after a driver hit a fire hydrant.

Water gushed from the hydrant on the 1600 block of Chapala Street at Arrellaga Street just before 9 p.m. and didn't get turned off until about a half-hour later. Crowds from the the neighborhood first heard the sound of the crash then the explosion of water going up into the sky and dropping back down to the pavement. They cheered once crews with Santa Barbara City Works got the water turned off.

Thousands of gallons of water were lost as a result. That hydrant geyser shooting water 40 feet into the air.

The driver of the Toyota sedan was questioned by police for possible impairment and was seen in handcuffs at the scene. The impact of the collision with the hydrant causing significant damage to the frontend of the vehicle.