Fire engine pulled from sinkhole in LA

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 8 (UPI) -- A 22-ton fire engine whose front end fell into a sinkhole in Los Angeles Tuesday morning was pulled out of the hole Tuesday afternoon in a televised operation.

The sinkhole was created by flooding from a broken water main -- the second major water main break in Los Angeles in three days. The four firefighters on the truck were able to get out without serious injury, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The break, in Valley Village, occurred in a 6-inch main that was installed in 1969 and less than halfway through its expected 100-year lifespan.

A 95-year-old trunk line burst Saturday night 2 1/2 miles away on Coldwater Canyon Avenue in Studio City.

The break flooded houses and businesses and left a sinkhole in the avenue, a major route between the Westside of Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said the line had been scheduled for upgrading within five years. He promised an investigation into the break.

The mayor also visited Valley Village.

"Anybody who has gone to visit the site can tell you that could have been an absolutely horrific disaster, but thanks to God and (the firefighters') good work they were able to get out without any injury," he said.