Fair Flood

At the San Diego County Fair on July 1, just after 3:00 p.m., a freshwater main ruptured at the O’Brien Exhibit Hall, gushing hundreds of gallons onto the walkways and into nearby booths outside the hall.

Over 25 food and merchandise booths were shut down as fairground crews and security officers rushed to the area. The flood also closed down the boarding gate for the skyway chairlift ride and a portion of the outdoor dining area of the midway’s huge Wood Pit B.B.Q.

Unfortunate also were the participants of the fair’s annual ballroom-dancing contest, who were getting ready to begin as the water inundated the dancefloor. Workers quickly tore apart and removed the soaked dancefloor in order to remove water that was underneath it.

Linda Zweig, spokesperson for the fair, said the emergency crews are located nearby, behind Bing Crosby Hall, so they “had the area shut down and evacuated within minutes.”

Once the water was shut off, three mini Zamboni-type trucks that suck up water, a large pump truck, and workers with mops, push brooms, and floor squeegees cleaned up the mess. The area was dried out and returned to normal in a little over an hour, but several booths had damp carpets.

To see video of the cleanup, click here.