Perret Park And Streets Flood In Lakeland Village Following Water Break

A fire hydrant was struck Saturday in Lakeland Village and that slowed traffic on Grand Avenue and Blackwell Boulevard, and caused flooding into Perret Park.

It’s not clear what caused the hydrant to bust, but a Patch reporter on scene said the equipment appeared sheared. Unconfirmed police scanner chatter indicated a truck hit the hydrant and did not stop.

Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department crews were first on scene shortly after 5:30 p.m. and worked to ensure homes in the 32900 block of Blackwell Boulevard did not flood.

Water flowed down Blackwell, across Grand, toward the lake and park.

At press time, drivers were able to pass on Grand, but traffic was slowed.

The Perret Park parking lot flooded. In some areas, water was knee deep, according to the Patch reporter on scene.

Some children in the neighborhood were playing in the runoff as a reprieve from the day’s hot weather.

No injuries were reported.

One local resident was in a boat on the lake with his 5-year-old son and saw water flowing down the hill.

“I thought it was from the flash flood alert we had,” he said. Saturday saw weather conditions that brought wind, rain and flooding across the county.

Dennis Demontigny, 68, lives on Blackwell. He wasn’t home when the break occurred, but when he pulled onto his street he saw fire trucks. Crews were building dams with rocks and told him Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District had been called.

Demontigny has seen other water breaks in the 10 years that he’s lived on Blackwell, but said “this is a good one." --Daniel Lane contributed to this report.