A water main break in San Francisco has flooded homes and caused a massive sinkhole to open up.
The incident in the area of Fillmore and Green streets damaged key infrastructure, along with homes and businesses, and has raised concerns about a weakened gas line.
The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) said a 16-inch water main break occurred late Sunday night in the area of Union and Fillmore streets. The break also impacted a nearby 8-inch water main.
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The high pressure from the water then started carving out sand and dirt around the break under the pavement. Water ended up flowing down Fillmore Street for at least four blocks.
According to a representative from ServiceMaster, an emergency cleanup company, at least 115 homes or businesses were either damaged or impacted by the sand and water.
City crews spent most of Monday morning scooping up the dirt and sand from the streets.
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Along with the sinkhole, portions of Fillmore Street also buckled from the flooding.
PG&E crews were digging their own holes to check on the integrity of the gas line in the area.
"The PG&E pipe is a pipe that is an infrastructure system that is in the general area that has the potential to be damaged. The San Francisco Fire Department is on scene as a safety mechanism in case that does occur," San Francisco Fire Department Capt. Jonathan Baxter said.
SFPUC spokesman Joseph Sweiss said crews are actively trying to replace the city's aging water lines, but they weren't able to get to the one that broke.
"PUC crews work to proactively replace about nine miles of these sometimes century-old pipes a year, but leaks still do happen in the city," Sweiss said.
