Thousands of gallons of water spewed out of a fire hydrant at W. 37th and Montgomery Street this morning after a test drive at the adjacent Helton Motors went wrong.
Police spokesman Julian Miller said a man asked to test drive a vehicle and then sped off with it, hitting the fire hydrant on the Montgomery Street side of the lot as he took off. Hydrants typically flow at a rate of 1,000 to 1,200 gallons per minute, said John Sawyer, the city's public works and water resources bureau chief. Water gushed into the street and under Helton's parking slab.
By noon the flow of water was cut off. Police were still investigating the incident, Miller said.
The vehicle was a blue 2009 Dodge Ram Laramie, said car lot owner Hugh Helton.
"It'll have a dent somewhere," he said.