Smashed hydrant causes scary leak

A semi truck crash into a downtown Spokane fire hydrant Thursday afternoon caused some scary moments for several electricians in a nearby building when a broken water pipe sent thousands of gallons of water rushing into the basement.

David Willis had his hands in a large electrical panel in the basement of the building on the northwest corner of First Avenue and Bernard Street when he heard a loud boom and water exploded into his face from a pipe just a foot away.

“It sounded like a bomb,” said Willis. “I thought water and electricity don’t mix, so I got out as quickly as I could and then turned off the power.”

Next door, customers at Envy beauty salon were in the middle of appointments when Spokane city water crews arrived and turned off the water to the building.

“They were walking out with foil in their hair to find somewhere to rinse it off,” Willis said.

Spokane Water Service Specialist Steve Skog was on the scene on First Avenue to stop the flooding. He said the flooding was caused by something called a “water hammer.”

“When the truck hit the hydrant, the water under pressure had no place to go, so it bounced back with even more force. It will pick the weakest place in the system to go,” he said.

That just happened to be the water pipe in the nearby building.