Roof of North Hills building collapses after sheared fire hydrant floods store
Crash triggers roof collapse in North Hills
A pickup truck collided into a hydrant in North Hills Sunday, ultimately causing heavy structural damage to a nearby T-Mobile store.
LOS ANGELES - A hit-and-run crash damaged a fire hydrant Sunday, spewing hundreds of gallons of water onto the roof of a nearby North Hills building, which ultimately collapsed and was destroyed.
What we know:
According to the Los Angeles Fire Department, the traffic collision was reported just before 3 p.m. near Nordhoff Street and Sepulveda Boulevard, a few blocks east of the 405 Freeway.
An investigation revealed a GMC pickup truck heading northbound on Sepulveda Blvd. collided with a Mercedes just south of Nordhoff Street. The truck slammed into a fire hydrant, shearing it right off and creating a huge geyser that shot up and over the building itself, which houses a T-Mobile store and a dental office.
The truck's driver took off and police are searching for that person. The driver of the Mercedes stayed at the scene and cooperated, police said.
Citizen video showed the moments right before the collapse, caused by the large amount of water that collected on the roof of the one-story structure.
No injuries were reported.
SoCalGas and the Los Angeles Departments of Building and Safety, and Water and Power are assisting in the assessment of the building.
LAPD officials told FOX 11 the building is a total loss, and it will likely be demolished within the next few days after the assessment of the property and damage.
What they're saying:
"Water filled up the rooftop, and then the water caused the roof ceiling to collapse over to T-Mobile. [It's] very fortunate that the [T-Mobile] manager evacuated everyone out," said Sgt. Cody Derosa with the LAPD.
"Once the water rose, leaking out through the ceiling, [they] evacuated all the customers out of the facility. The other dental business was closed today. Everyone had gotten out in time. The water filled and collapsed the ceiling."
What we don't know:
A description of the truck driver authorities are searching for was not released.
It's unclear if the dental office was also damaged.
The Source: Information for this story is from the Los Angeles Fire Department and an interview with Sgt. Cody Derosa with the Los Angeles Police Department on March 16, 2025.