Water gushed out of a fire hydrant in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture in western Japan on May 21.

The site was on the sidewalk in Kobe’s Nagata Ward.

At around 2:40 p.m., a passerby reported to the police that a water pipe exploded, and the manhole lid was blown off.

The water gushed higher than the surrounding buildings and temporarily rose to a height of about 10 meters.

Waterworks bureau staff rushed to the scene and one of them checked the manhole by putting his hand into it.

Then, about 40 minutes after the report, at around 3:20 p.m., the water stopped.

No one was injured.

According to the Kobe City Waterworks Bureau, an aging bolt on the fire hydrant could not withstand the water pressure and flew off.

About 20 houses in the vicinity lost water during the incident.