A break in Montreal’s underground water main erupted at approximately 6 a.m. local time Friday morning. A “geyser” erupted and flooded the streets of Montreal. Video footage shows a great stream of water shooting into the air, and water flooding the city’s streets. Witnesses report the geyser shot 10 m in the air. .The eruption occurred in Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault's Laurier-Sainte-Marie riding.. Many homes and businesses were evacuated, Quebec’s hydro utility cut power to about 13,000 clients and traffic is in gridlock near the site of the break, at Jacques-Cartier Bridge just east of downtown. A boil water advisory is in place south of Sherbrooke. City officials at 11:36 a.m. local time said the break at the corner of René-Lévesque Blvd. and de Lorimier Ave. was under control and repairs will be conducted, per the Canadian Press. During that time, residents should avoid the area, and find an alternate route into the city than the Jacques-Cartier Bridge. .Firefighters when the main broke early in the morning patrolled the impacted neighbourhoods, urging people to leave their homes due to the “geyser” flooding the streets, Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante said. City of Montreal spokesperson Philippe Sabourin said about 100 homes were flooded, and the city’s top priority is residents’ safety. “Even if the water is receding, we are asking people to let repair crews do their work; don’t cross the danger tape,” Plante told reporters, per the CP. The leak will likely take “several hours” to repair, he said. The pipe, more than two m in diameter, was installed in 1985, officials said. Apparently before the problem can be thoroughly assessed, crews will have to break through the asphalt and concrete above the broken section of pipe.
A break in Montreal’s underground water main erupted at approximately 6 a.m. local time Friday morning. A “geyser” erupted and flooded the streets of Montreal. Video footage shows a great stream of water shooting into the air, and water flooding the city’s streets. Witnesses report the geyser shot 10 m in the air. .The eruption occurred in Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault's Laurier-Sainte-Marie riding.. Many homes and businesses were evacuated, Quebec’s hydro utility cut power to about 13,000 clients and traffic is in gridlock near the site of the break, at Jacques-Cartier Bridge just east of downtown. A boil water advisory is in place south of Sherbrooke. City officials at 11:36 a.m. local time said the break at the corner of René-Lévesque Blvd. and de Lorimier Ave. was under control and repairs will be conducted, per the Canadian Press. During that time, residents should avoid the area, and find an alternate route into the city than the Jacques-Cartier Bridge. .Firefighters when the main broke early in the morning patrolled the impacted neighbourhoods, urging people to leave their homes due to the “geyser” flooding the streets, Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante said. City of Montreal spokesperson Philippe Sabourin said about 100 homes were flooded, and the city’s top priority is residents’ safety. “Even if the water is receding, we are asking people to let repair crews do their work; don’t cross the danger tape,” Plante told reporters, per the CP. The leak will likely take “several hours” to repair, he said. The pipe, more than two m in diameter, was installed in 1985, officials said. Apparently before the problem can be thoroughly assessed, crews will have to break through the asphalt and concrete above the broken section of pipe.
