Pipe bursts, filling an apartment with hot water

A broken water line that filled an apartment with scalding hot water left three people displaced into the early part of this week, Newport Beach fire officials said Monday.

Saturday morning, a 1-inch water line burst in the ceiling of a third-story apartment in the Seaview Lutheran Plaza elderly community, flooding water into the building, Capt. Ron Gamble said. A caretaker in the apartment called 9-1-1 and got the tenant out, Gamble said. The lower apartments were unoccupied at the time.

When firefighters arrived and opened the door, they were met with hot water up to their knees, Gamble said. Fortunately, they were all wearing their firefighter gear and were not burned, he said.

Water damage leaked to all three apartments below the pipe and displaced the residents, officials said. Gamble said the pipe was likely just old and finally burst. No one reported injuries.

— Joseph Serna