University City

Westfield UTC mall partially floods with brown water

Shoppers could be seen walking in the mall past the flooded areas. Video shared with NBC 7 shows one man standing in the moving, flooded waters right outside the Warby Parker store.

NBC Universal, Inc.

Part of Westfield UTC, an upscale shopping mall in San Diego's University City neighborhood, flooded with what looked like brown water due to a water main failure on Wednesday afternoon.

Footage shared on social media shows brown water a few inches deep outside cordoned off stores like Tiffany & Co., lululemon, Warby Parker, Nespresso and L'Occitane en Provence.

Part of Westfield UTC mall in University City flooded on Sept. 4, 2024. (NBC 7 San Diego)

Shoppers could be seen walking in the mall past the flooded areas. Video shared with NBC 7 shows one man standing in the moving, flooded waters right outside the Warby Parker store.

Brown water flooded around Westfield UTC mall's lululemon store on Sept. 4, 2024. (NBC 7 San Diego)

Not long after, the flood waters drained, leaving dried brown spots in the previously flooded areas, footage from SkyRanger7 overhead showed.

The flooding closed at least two stores for about two hours.

Flooded waters outside Westfield UTC's Warby Parker store brought crews out to the scene on Sept. 4, 2024. (NBC 7 San Diego)

Later in the afternoon, the owners of the mall sent NBC 7 the following statement:

"Westfield UTC is currently addressing a water main failure that occurred earlier today off Palm Plaza. While some stores may be temporarily impacted, the center remains open and ready to welcome guests. We appreciate your understanding and patience as we resolve this matter. For immediate updates on current affected retailers, please contact the individual stores directly for most up-to-date operating hours."

The cordoned-off areas that flooded in the Westfield UTC mall dried, leaving brown spots behind on Sept. 4, 2024. (NBC 7 San Diego)
Westfield UTC mall in University City partially flooded with brown water on Sept. 4, 2024. (NBC 7 San Diego)
NBC 7 San Diego
Westfield UTC mall in University City partially flooded with brown water on Sept. 4, 2024, leaving dried brown spots in some walking areas. (NBC 7 San Diego)
Contact Us