Jamaica Plain neighborhood flooded, street damaged in massive water main break
BOSTON - A huge water main break flooded several streets in Jamaica Plain early Saturday morning and a high-water rescue vehicle had to be brought in.
The 36-inch water line on Heath Street broke around 3 a.m. flooding the neighborhood and parts of Waldron and Minden streets. Heath Street is on a hill, so a lot of the water rushed down to other parts of the neighborhood.
At 3:45 a.m. Saturday, Maggie Hale said she was trying to get home from a fun night out. She lives just off Heath Street where the pipe burst. Hale was greeted with raging water covering sidewalks and streets and was forced to walk through the frigid water to get home.
"It was freezing and just so much water," said Hale. "Rivers and rivers of water. So, I walked up to the top of the street and was looking at what was going on."
The Boston Fire Department shut down the streets and made the rare move of bringing in its' high-water rescue vehicle because the water had risen so high. Water was waist deep and some people were stuck in their homes. Water was turned off to determine the source of the break, causing a water pressure problem for those who live nearby.
"My water's not working on the third floor, so I walked downstairs to the second floor and not working, so I woke my husband up," said Jamaica Plain resident Lydia Sanchez.
As of Saturday evening, the water had been turned back on.
Firefighters put on survival suits to check houses that might need to be evacuated. They were also inspecting basements for flooding.
"Once the main was shut off, that alleviated a lot of the problems," said Boston Fire Department Chief of Operations Robert Calobrisi. "Hopefully that's the end of it, just damage control with the water."
There's no word yet on what caused the water main break.
The rush of water buckled parts of Heath Street. It's not clear yet how long the area will be closed to traffic. The area is covered in water, which is a concern as temperatures drop. Salt has been applied throughout the neighborhood to try to prevent roads and sidewalks from becoming coated with ice.
The Boston Water and Sewer Commission said crews will be on site Sunday to replace the water main. They worked on site for more than 15 hours on Saturday.
