Sheared hydrant sprays huge geyser

BY ERIC LINDBERG
DAILY SOUND STAFF WRITER

A gushing fountain of water sprayed high into the air next to Highway 101 in Santa Barbara today, dousing cars passing southbound between Garden and Milpas streets after a Caltrans truck accidentally knocked over a fire hydrant, authorities said.
Fire crews worked quickly to shut off the water supply to the hydrant, located at the corner of Yanonali Street and Calle Cesar Chavez. Construction crews patching the street nearby said a Caltrans truck working in the area sheared the yellow hydrant at its base around 1:15 p.m., leaving it strewn halfway in the gutter as streams of water shot higher than a nearby telephone pole.
Firefighters on the scene said the water had been shut off only to that hydrant, and businesses and residences in the area should still have running water. Efforts to reattach the sheared hydrant are already underway.