DETROIT (WXYZ) — Parts of two Detroit streets flooded after the city says a car hit a fire hydrant.
Crews responded to French Road and Leander Street after it was reported Sunday morning that a fire hydrant was spewing water, according to the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department. Crews had to call off their investigation during nighttime hours Sunday.
Watch Ruta Ulcinaite's video report:
They returned Monday and worked most of the day on a flooded road with ice chunks to get to the fire hydrant, temporarily shut it off and begin repairs.
The hydrant was finally shut off Monday evening. Work will continue Tuesday for cleanup and repairs.
Watch Chopper video of crews at the scene below:
Detroit Water & Sewerage Department Deputy Director Sam Smalley says this is the 15th fire hydrant to be hit by a vehicle this winter alone, pulling off staff from other critical projects, like water main breaks.
"Please slow down. Our crews are busy enough with all the other main breaks, as opposed to dealing with ones that are certainly avoidable," Smalley said.
Officials are working to learn who was driving the car that hit the hydrant. A vehicle was seen surrounded by water and chunks of ice on Chopper 7 Monday, however, it's unclear at this time if that was the car that hit the hydrant.
There have been no reports of residents without water, DWSD says. The department says residents should not be impacted.
Coleman A. Young International Airport, which is nearby, was also not impacted.
The stretch of road is also a well-known drag-racing strip, although that has not yet been determined to be the cause of the crash.
The city says this is a costly issue, and they will be investigating to see who caused the damage to find them liable.
"Every time we have a hit hydrant, we try to see if there's any video, any police report, any witnesses. If we can find it, we'll certainly pursue reimbursement," Smalley said. "The repair is probably $20,000-plus. And if we can find out who did it, we will make a claim against the vehicle's driver's insurance."
