Water was shooting into the air for more than three hours after the pipe broke at about 4:30 a.m. outside 1520 Pacific St., between Albany and Kingston avenues
CROWN HEIGHTS, Brooklyn (WABC) -- A large water main break flooded streets and forced the evacuation of about 50 residents in Brooklyn Thursday morning.Water was sent shooting into the air from the 40-inch main, which broke on Pacific Street in Crown Heights at around 4:40 a.m.
The residents were evacuated from two apartment buildings at 1526 Pacific Street and 180 Albany Avenue, both adjacent to the break.
They were being sheltered by the Red Cross.
There are no reports of injuries.
Workers were forced to shut multiple valves feeding the mains to drop the water pressure.
The city DEP has shut off the impacted water main.
The MTA has two buses on the scene that are being used as temporary shelter for the evacuated residents.
The following street closures remain in place:
--Albany Ave is closed to vehicle traffic from Atlantic Avenue to Dean Street.
--Pacific Street is closed to vehicle traffic from Albany Avenue to Brooklyn Avenue.
--The eastbound lane of Atlantic Avenue is being rerouted to the middle lane due to a flooding condition in that lane between Brooklyn Avenue and Albany Avenue.
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Water main break in Crown Heights floods street, forces evacuations, officials say
By Nicole Brown nicole.brown@amny.com
November 2, 2017
A water main break flooded a Crown Heights street early Thursday morning, forcing dozens to evacuate, officials said.
Water was shooting into the air for more than three hours after the pipe broke at about 4:30 a.m. outside 1520 Pacific St., between Albany and Kingston avenues, the FDNY said. The water was shut off and the leak stopped shortly after 8 a.m., a spokesman said.
The flooding closed Pacific Street from Albany to Brooklyn avenues and Albany Avenue from Dean Street to Atlantic Avenue, the Office of Emergency Management said.
B15 and B43 buses were detoured in both directions and B65 buses were running with delays as a result, the MTA said.
Videos and photos posted to Twitter showed the water spraying several feet into the air.
The cause of the break was not immediately clear. However, NYC has one of the oldest water infrastructures in the United States. The recent rainfall could be a factor too, as the rushing flash floods may have undermined the water pipes.
The Department of Environmental Protection was investigating and would make repairs, as needed.