Water Main Break Floods Streets, Homes In Jamaica Plains

BOSTON, MA — A water main break caused major flooding in Boston's Jamaica Hills neighborhood Saturday morning, prompting officials to close roads and cut off utilities to many residents in the area, according to officials and reports.

The Boston Fire Department said the water main break happened on Heath Street. According to NBC Boston, the 36-inch main broke around 3 a.m. It's unclear what caused the water main to break.

The break was followed by significant street flooding, prompting officials to close roads including parts of Heath, Waldron and Minden streets. The flooding also caused parts of Heath Street to buckle, authorities said.

Some basements in the neighborhood also flooded with several feet of water, fire officials told NBC Boston. At one point, the Boston Fire Department deployed a high-water rescue team to check homes and evacuate residents if necessary.

Utilities including gas and electric were also shut off due to safety concerns, NBC Boston reported.

The Boston Water and Sewer Commission was called to investigate the break. Crews shut down three water mains in the area to determine the source of the disruption, MassLive.com reported.

Water to the area was shut off shortly before 10 a.m., fire officials said. Crews were working to assess the damage.