‘Water everywhere:’ Pickup strikes hydrant, flooding Orlando home, intersection

ORLANDO, Fla. – A pickup truck struck a fire hydrant early Tuesday in Orlando, flooding a home and intersection and prompting officials to close roadways in the area.

The crash happened around 2:20 a.m. at Michigan Street and Conway Gardens Road, both of which are closed in the area.

The Florida Highway Patrol said a 33-year-old Orlando man was driving a 2018 Toyota Tacoma and went off the road, striking the hydrant, which erupted.

Troopers notified Orlando Utilities Commission about the issue, and crews stopped the flow of water after the intersection was covered in water.

“OUC crews remain on the scene to make repairs, which are expected to be complete later (Tuesday) afternoon,” OUC said in a statement. “Until then, East Michigan Street is closed between Conway Gardens Road and Bass Lake Boulevard.”

A nearby house was flooded, with up to 12 inches of water covering portions of the home.

“About 4:30 this morning my daughter woke up and said ‘Dad, there’s water on the floor,’” said homeowner John Hughes. “Not (fully) awake but water on your feet -- in your house -- at 4:30 will wake you up awfully fast.”

Hughes said he opened a door to investigate and more water came rushing into his home.

Hughes said his garage had a foot of water sitting in it.

“There’s water everywhere in here. Everywhere,” said Hughes, who added that water flowed for two hours before it was noticed.

“I think it took them probably another hour to get shut off,” he said.

On top of it all, Hughes said the floors of his home were brand new.

“Just finished trimming the baseboards. New floors through the whole house,” Hughes said. “It is what it is. There’s nothing you can do.”

A precautionary boil water alert is in effect for two homes that were impacted by the incident, OUC said.

The driver was not hurt and stayed at the scene, troopers said.