Fullerton Street Floods When Geyser Rips Through Ground

A broken water main forced water to shoot through the ground and leave a gaping hole in the asphalt

A broken water main flooded a Fullerton neighborhood Tuesday night, ripping a hole in the street and leaving residents without water.

The water exploded out of the ground about 8:30 p.m. in the 3300 block of Teton Drive and caused what appeared to be a sinkhole, said Battalion Chief Adam Loeser of the Fullerton and Brea fire departments.

One resident said she walked out of her front door to see a 5-foot geyser flooding her street.

"Our house already sits low, so I (thought) it would be a matter of minutes before our house flooded," schoolteacher Shawna Adam said.

Fire crews shut off the water main to prevent any homes from being flooded, keeping the water in the street.

Adam was grading papers inside when her daughter told her the street looked "like it was coming apart." She and her neighbors swept the street with brooms to try to keep water from seeping into homes.

Video from the scene showed water rushing down the street and rising over the curb, the road with a gaping hole. Crews could be seen scooping into the sinkhole with a bulldozer to reach the broken water main.

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Residents in the neighborhood were without water overnight, but it was not clear when the water service would resume. Attempts to contact the water company were not immediately returned.

The cause of the ruptured main was not immediately known.

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