'Water everywhere': Flooding forces Southbank apartment evacuation
More than 120 people staying at an apartment block in Melbourne's CBD have been evacuated after a man let off fire hydrants on 18 floors, causing thousands of litres of water to flood the building.
MFB fire crews were called to the building on City Road in Southbank about 9.30pm and found water pouring out of the front entrance and occupants fleeing the building.
Firefighters found a man had maliciously opened all the fire hydrants, causing water to cascade through the apartment block.
The man had locked himself in a room and was "considered hostile". Victoria Police were called to deal with the man as firefighters worked to stop the deluge.
A 27-year-old man from Traralgon has been arrested in relation to the incident.
A 47-year-old maintenance worker at the site was taken to The Alfred hospital at 4.30am with soft tissue injuries and grazes after he was hit in the face by a jet of water from a burst pipe while working to repair a fire panel.
Several people were assessed at the scene by paramedic during the night for existing medical conditions unrelated to the flooding.
The water has now been shut off to the entire building, and it will remain unoccupied until the Municipal Building Surveyor deems it safe.
Firefighters will continue to work on the site on Monday, and are trying to mitigate further water damage using wet vacuums and water pumps.
They are also dealing with the electrical risk, due to the amount of water in the building.
A woman staying at the apartment block on the 15th floor told Channel Nine there was "water everywhere".
"I came into the city for a good night's sleep. I'm not going to get one," she said.