Early in the morning of November 23, just past midnight, an alleged drunk driver’s car hit a utility pole, spun into a fire hydrant, and stopped when it hit a metal pole at the intersection of Emile and Valparaiso. For the next hour, water shot approximately 50 to 100 feet into the air. Both the Menlo Park Fire Department and Atherton Police Department responded to the incident and shut down Valparaiso from Johnson to Arbor while the Fire Department searched for the water shut off valve. Since they didn’t find the shut off valve for over an hour, the homes near the intersection between Emilie and Valparaiso began to flood. Eventually, the water shut off valve was found on the other side of the Emilie/Valparaiso intersection, and the water to the fire hydrant was promptly shut off.

The woman driving the car was allegedly driving drunk but is reportedly not injured seriously. The Coat of Arms is waiting for a comment from Atherton Police and will publish updates as they come.