Major water main break in Montreal's Saint-Michel leaves flooded basements, large sinkhole
Boil-water advisory in effect for parts of 2 boroughs
Jean-François Boyer was awakened shortly after 4:30 a.m. Friday morning by someone pounding on his door urging him to look outside his third-storey apartment in Montreal's Saint-Michel neighbourhood.
"I looked down from the balcony and saw that my car had water halfway up its doors," said Boyer. "I didn't know what to do."
A major water main broke Friday morning, flooding streets in the neighbourhood and filling several basements and vehicles.
Boyer made his way down and waded through knee-deep water to get to his vehicle, which had started to flood. He managed to get the car moving and did his best to drain it before taking in the mess that Bélanger Street had become.
"It's incredible," he said about his street. "It's the first time I've seen anything like this."
Emergency officials spent hours pumping water out of several Saint-Michel homes. Mayor Valérie Plante said the situation was under control during a news conference Friday afternoon. The city says it has shut the valves in the area so water is no longer flowing out.
Police and firefighters closed off a large section of the area this morning — from Jean-Talon Street to Bélanger Street and between 15th and 20th avenues.
Images and videos taken from the neighbourhood show deep and rushing water filling the streets and multiple vehicles partially submerged. At least one fell into a large sinkhole in the aftermath of the flooding.
The Montreal fire department says 20 buildings near the water main break — located at the intersection of Bélanger Street and 17th Avenue — were evacuated as a precaution.
The city says the 36-inch pipe dates back to 1974 and was on its radar, due to be replaced in the next few years. The city says it doesn't know why it burst prematurely.
WATCH | Vehicles submerged in deep, rushing water:
Boil-water advisory in effect
This afternoon, the city issued a boil-water advisory for parts of Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie and Villeray-Saint-Michel-Parc-Extension. The areas covered can be seen here.
People need to boil tap water for at least one minute before drinking it or using it for brushing their teeth. It can be used for showers and washing. The advisory is in effect until further notice.
At a news conference this morning, Montreal fire operations chief Martin Guilbault said it is not yet clear how many residents are affected, but he says several basements have been flooded.
Hydro-Québec has also cut off electricity for some 40,000 people in the area, Guilbault said, in order to prevent water from coming into contact with electricity — particularly for dwellings with electrical panels located in the basement.
Guilbault said the operation to completely fix the pipe "will take some time." The Société de transport de Montréal (STM) has sent three buses to the area to help with the evacuations.
In a tweet, Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante said the Étienne-Desmarteau arena in the Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie borough is open to welcome those who need support.
"My thoughts go out to the citizens of the affected sector," she wrote.
Boyer says he's happy to be living on the third-floor considering the damage done to several residences in his neighbourhood. The state of his car, however, worries him.
"I'll have to find out what can be done because with all of the water that went inside I don't know if it's drivable," he said.
The Montreal fire department is urging motorists to avoid the area.