WATER MAIN BREAK
FLOODS GREENWICH VILLAGE STREETS IN NEW YORK
By Trevor Kapp and Aidan Gardiner
on January 15, 2015 3:28pm
Water streamed through the streets after the rupture
near Bleecker and Sullivan streets, officials said.
GREENWICH VILLAGE — The streets in a corner of Greenwich
Village turned into rivers Thursday afternoon when an underground water pipe
burst, officials and witnesses said.
The 12-inch pipe ruptured on Bleecker Street between
Sullivan Street and LaGuardia Place about 1:20 p.m., according to FDNY and Department
of Environmental Protection officials.
"I was working behind the counter. All of a sudden,
water was flying about a foot in the air. It was flowing onto the sidewalk. The
sidewalk just folded and caved in," said Jimmy Alkandi, 25, who was
working at Bleecker's Finest Deli at the time.
"People were yelling and screaming. It was kind of
scary, kind of fun. I thought the whole ground might cave in."
Passersby posted photos of water flowing down Bleecker
Street to Twitter and other social media.
The DEP shut off the pipe, leaving 250 customers without
water, a spokeswoman said.
Traffic was closed on Bleecker Street between Sullivan
Street and LaGuardia Place, and on Sullivan Street between West Houston and
West Third streets, while a contractor worked to mend the break. It was not
immediately clear how long the street would be blocked off.
The FDNY was still on scene about an hour later
monitoring flooding in surrounding basements, a spokesman said.
The DEP was also responding to the scene.