A major water-main break flooded a street and buildings, submerged cars and caused a large sinkhole in Montreal’s northeastern district of Saint-Michel early Friday.
The city issued a boil-water advisory in response to the incident for the boroughs of Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie and Villeray-Saint-Michel-Parc-Extension, affecting about 75,000 people.
City officials said a 36-inch drinking water pipe burst around 4 a.m., and flooded a neighbourhood street, causing the road to buckle.
At least 18 buildings in the area were evacuated as a preventive measure.
Emergency crews were on site throughout the day pumping water out of homes and cars, restoring electricity which was cut off as a safety precaution, and slowly repairing the sinkhole that almost swallowed up a small vehicle.
As of 11 a.m., more than 11,000 people in the area were without power.
Chantal Morrissette, the city’s water service director, said plugging the leak was complex. Public works employees first had to find the broken pipe, then had to turn off several valves on the main and secondary pipes before the water began to recede about 11 a.m., she said.
Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante was at the site with crews working to resolve the issue.
Several streets in the area were closed off to traffic by police and firefighters.
The incident happened at the intersection of 17th Avenue and Bélanger Street, around the borough’s Little Maghreb district.
Images and video of the event show dramatic scenes of rushing water filling the streets and submerging vehicles. Once the water had dried up, the large sinkhole was visible.
The city says the cause of the break is unknown but adds that parts of the underground infrastructure are 100 years old and have reached or exceeded their service life. The pipe in question had been installed in 1974, and while it was due to be replaced in the coming years, it failed prematurely.
Firefighters said they would tour all affected buildings in order to check electrical panels and make sure it was safe to restore electricity.
A sports centre in neighbouring Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie was opened to take in residents forced to leave their homes, and the Red Cross was providing assistance.
–with files from The Canadian Press and Gloria Henriquez, Global News
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