A water main break caused major flooding in downtown San Diego Friday morning, sending high-pressure water bursting into the busy streets.
Water rushed into the intersection of F Street and First Avenue around 10:30 a.m., flowing for blocks past Market Street.
Passerby Nicholas Berlette was walking in the area when water erupted into the roads.
“I was walking down the street right here and I heard a pretty loud rupture and then rocks and mud came flying out, and then water got all over me,” Berlette told NBC 7. “It’s still flowing up.”
Though his shirt was soaked and he was covered in mud, Berlette added, “It coud’ve been worse.”
A construction crew was working in the area at the time of the water main break when something snapped, sending rocks and debris flying, followed by a geyser shooting water about five feet in the air.
Entrances to nearby businesses, including a Greek marketplace, a nail salon, a dry cleaners and a parking structure, were flooded. Employees quickly began placing sandbags in doorways and attempting to sweep away the water.
Dozens of passersby gathered on the roads to watch as crews worked to gain control of the messy situation.
About two to three inches of water covered the streets, rolling south toward G Street. Officials closed off the area to traffic while crews worked to shut off the water and repair the break.
A large hole was left behind in the street where the construction equipment had been operating.
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By 11:05 a.m., it appeared the water had been shut off.
The flooding caused business owner Mathew Sanati-Zaker to close his shop, Arya Cleaners, down for the day.
Since his shop is lower than the street level, water spilled inside.
“Suddenly I heard a big noise and then noticed a [construction] machine took a part of the pipe they were trying to replace. I saw the water going so high,” Zaker told NBC 7. “I tried to close the door to stop the water. But still, the water was coming in.”
Zaker said he rushed to save customers’ garments hanging in his shop from the thick, muddy water gushing in.
Arian Collins, of the City of San Diego Public Utilities Department, said a private contractor was working on a private project in the area when trouble began.
“While they were working, a plug in water main did not hold and high pressure water came bursting out,” Collins told NBC 7.
He said the pipe was 16 inches in diameter.
“It’s a very large pipe, so it was a lot of water, a lot of pressure,” he explained. “There’s just so much pressure, it starts tearing out the soil underneath the street – the rocks, debris.”
Water service was shut down along one block.
Collins said crews were examining the condition of the pipe and working to repair it before nightfall.
No injuries were reported in the flooding incident.
