Crews are finishing up road repairs in Santee after a broken pipe left dozens of customers without water service overnight.
The incident happened at 5:48 p.m. Thursday at Prospect Avenue and Our Way, San Diego Sheriff's officials (SDSO) and Santee Fire officials said.
With no warning in the middle of the commute home, witnesses felt the street buckle and groan like an earthquake before tens of thousands of gallons of water bubbled to the service.
"Like a giant lake just pouring out of there," witness Becky Kennedy said. "I drove across it. I stayed on one die and came across it. As I came across it it was just everywhere."
The raging water quickly filled a nearby culvert designed to divert heavy rain around the homes, but it was not enough to contain the flooding.
"You just see the water it came over the berm here," homeowner Keith Koble explained. "It didn't get in the house but the landscaping is ruined."
No homes were flooded, but many yards were soaked in water.
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A Padre Dam Water District spokesperson said the break in the 12-inch water main happened on or near a section that was repaired Wednesday.
"None of us have water and we're not prepared for that - not for all the days in a row," Kennedy told NBC 7.
A water district official said water in the area was shut down overnight but should be restored by 7 a.m. Friday.
