Major Water Main Break In Midtown Causes Flooding Near Herald Square
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - A water main break near Herald Square caused a flood of problems in the area Tuesday.
The break happened at around 8:15 a.m. at 1270 Broadway near 33rd Street and caused a large amount of water to flow into the basement there, said FDNY Battalion Chief Gene Rice.
Con Ed, who was the first to arrive at the scene, said the water main break has also affected their steam manhole at the location, knocking out steam to several customers in the area.
"Con Ed steam, they were the first to arrive, they were very concerned about the high pressure steam manhole. The water could actually affect the steam lines, you could have a major steam leak. So they went about shutting down the steam to that manhole, to that line. DEP got here, they went about shutting down the water," said Rice.
The FDNY shut down the block out of concern that if a steam manhole ruptured, pedestrians could get injured.
Four buildings affected by the break are currently without water, said Rice. There is currently 4-5 feet of water in the sub-cellar of the building on Broadway.
Crews are currently pumping water out of the building and the FDNY has shut off the water on the block.
No gas leaks have been reported.
It's unclear what pipe was broken.
There is also some water at the nearby NQR subway station, but the MTA does not expect delays, CBS 2's Diane Macedo reported.
Click here to check current traffic conditions.
If all goes well, water will be back by early afternoon, according to Steve Vassi with the NYC OEM.
You may also be interested in these stories: