The rear parking lot at Mesa View Regional Hospital, 1299 Bertha Howe, sees its share of emergencies as ambulances bring in patients for the emergency room. But the parking lot is not usually the scene of an emergency, itself.
That changed Friday just after 6:15 p.m. when the water main connecting to a fire hydrant ruptured. According to the Mesquite Police Department the broken line geysered water and rocks into the air. The falling rocks damaged six vehicles which were parked nearby, the police report said.
One windshield was broken and water flooded into the vehicle.
According to Ken Rock, general manager of the Virgin Valley Water District (VVWD), the pressurized fire hydrants lines move more than 1,000 gallons per minute.
Mesa View Hospital is a private business and the pipe break was on its property and its responsibility. Nonetheless, Rock noted, “But we typically go to wherever there is a major leak and shut off the water for people – even if it is a really wet job.”