Streets turned into rivers and parts of UCLA turned into lakes after a massive water main break sent 8 million to 10 million gallons of water gushing through parts of Los Angeles . The deluge was so massive that swift-water rescue crews with boats had to ferry away several stranded people . At least three motorists were rescued from underground parking garages where stairwells had turned into raging waterfalls . Dozens of vehicles were partly submerged , UCLA said . At least two of the inundated garages belong to the university . And while authorities managed to stop the water hemorrhage by Tuesday night , the situation might not clear until later Wednesday . `` I 'd like to tell you we 'd have it fixed by the morning , but I do n't think that 's really possible , '' James McDaniel of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power said Tuesday night . He said crews will work through the night , trying to dewater the massive crater caused by the explosion . Much of UCLA deluged . The UCLA campus , on the city 's west side , suffered much of the damage . The flooding covered the court of Pauley Pavilion , home to the Bruins ' basketball , volleyball and women 's gymnastics teams . The facility had just gone through a multi-million-dollar renovation two years ago . `` Unfortunately , Pauley Pavilion took quite a bit of water , '' Chancellor Gene Block told reporters Tuesday night . `` It 's painful . '' Water covers volleyball courts . At least one outdoor athletic stadium turned into an island of grass surrounded by a sea of murky brown water . But UCLA academic and residence halls were not affected , the university said , and classes will continue Wednesday . A geyser on Sunset Boulevard . Just before rush hour Tuesday , the 93-year-old water main burst under the world-famous Sunset Boulevard . The explosion busted through several lanes of the street and sent a geyser of water shooting into the sky . But no one was injured in the ordeal . It 's not clear exactly what cause the burst . But it happened at a very bad time for the city and state . Drought-stricken California recently passed statewide water restrictions , and Gov . Jerry Brown declared a drought emergency in January . `` Unfortunately we lost a lot of water -- around 35,000 gallons a minute -- which is not ideal in the worst drought in the city 's history , '' Los Angeles city councilman Paul Koretz said . `` So we ask everybody to try harder to conserve water . ''
Authorities estimate 8 to 10 million gallons of water spilled . Several inches of water covered the court at Pauley Pavilion . Firefighters rescued several people from inundated parking garages . The damage was estimated at $180 million.