A torrent of water in Little Italy on Saturday was caused by a hit-and-run driver who slammed into a fire hydrant.
Water shot into the air and the geyser was taller than the three-story apartment complex nearby.
The crash happened in the 2000 block of First Avenue. Firefighters rushed to turn the water off and urged nearby residents to evacuate.
San Diego Fire-Rescue turned off the water around 8:20 a.m. It took firefighters some time to turn off the water because they had trouble matching the water valve to the hydrant.
Residents were able to keep the water from going inside homes, but many yards and driveways in the area are under several inches of water.
"I got a little nervous," Shelby O'Reilly-Gronke said. "I didn't want the water coming into my apartment so I started putting everything on cabinets on the table, so it wouldn't get ruined if the water did come in."
Amanda Larigione had just woken up when she heard the sound of water rushing down her street. She said the street looked more like a river.
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"The whole street was covered with water," she said. "Everybody was panicked, everybody was scared."
Firefighters closed part of the sidewalk on Grape Street because the water collapsed a hillside and caused damage to the sidewalk.
The sidewalk and the hillside suffered the worst damage.
Police are still trying to find the hit-and-driver who slammed into the fire hydrant.
