Note: A previous version of this story stated that natural gas company Énergir had workers in the area. This was not the case.
Atwater Tunnel remains closed Wednesday after workers accidentally burst a pipe in the area.
Firefighters responded to the incident around 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, locating at least three cars that were submerged in water.
“NRJ was doing some work and they broke a big pipe. That pipe was about 24 inches big,” said Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante.
“It created what we see behind us, a flooding situation.”
Bruno Lachance, chief of Montreal’s fire department, said the water in the tunnel is about eight- to 10-feet high.
WATCH: Construction caused a major water main break that flooded the Atwater Tunnel. As Global’s Felicia Parrillo reports, the city is now working to clean up the mess.
“We’re going to start by closing all the valves, pumping the water out, making sure that everything is secure because there’s going to be some icy roads,” said Lachance.
“We’re going to reopen it when everything is safe.”
He noted the tunnel won’t reopen for “many, many hours,” but could not give an estimate.
There are no reported injuries. Homes are not affected and the water quality in the area remains high, according to Plante, who was onsite Tuesday with Sud-Ouest Mayor Benoit Dorais, to reassure residents.
“I’ve seen it flooded before, like from a big rain downpour, but never like this,” said Danny Jones, who lives nearby.
“You hardly have a gap to see through to the other side.”
Montreal police are asking people to avoid the areas of Notre-Dame, Atwater, Saint-Patrick and Charlevoix.
— with files from Global’s Felicia Parrillo