Coolant exploded all over engine bay

[AlphaAssault]

I was driving home from work tonight, and I gun it from about 20mph to get ahead of some traffic. Immediatly after I slow down, I begin to smell something like burt syrup. Oh hell, coolant I think to myself. I drove another mile to my apartment, carefully watching my temp gauge. I got home and turned my car off (the engine was still running fine, i might add), as steam began coming from under the hood. For the record, the temp gauge was at the 3/4th mark by now. I pop the hood and theres coolant EVERYWHERE. Mainly, its on the battery, IC pipes, and intake manifold, as well as on the underside of the hood. Because it was dark, I couldnt pinpoint the location of the problem. Questions:

What happened? Im thinking a coolent line went; is this a valid possibility? If so, what size is this line, and where exactly is it located so I can replace it?

What would cause this?

What are the odds that I did something to my engine because of leaking coolant?

 

[BeatupVR4]

Careful just yanking that hose off. Crack that metal line and have fun replacing your heater core. Cutting it is the better solution.

Dodge/Mitsu also sells a heater hose "kit", it's both lines and 4 of the compression hose clamps for like $20. Totally worth it.

 

[Laysher91]

Dont forget to get real hose clamps for those new coolant lines.