A vehicle that rolled over and sheared off two fire hydrants sent twin geysers of water roughly 200 feet in the air and forced the closure of Pacific Coast Highway in Santa Monica for several hours early Wednesday.

The situation snarled traffic as commuters were diverted off the westbound 10 Freeway onto 4th Street. The southbound section of PCH reopened about 8 a.m., and the northbound portion reopened roughly two hours later, according to the California Department of Transportation.

Santa Monica police reported the crash to the California Highway Patrol about 3 a.m. Water gushed from the hydrants and saturated the bluffs leading up to Palisades Park for about two hours before crews shut the system off.

Mud from the hillside slid onto PCH, creating a mess for cleanup crews that delayed reopening the road, officials said.


PCH Closed at the Incline in Santa Monica https://t.co/wNfMGl637e — Eddie Q. (@equezada) February 13, 2019

hannah.fry@latimes.com

Twitter: @Hannahnfry