SAN DIEGO (CBS 8) - Water is back on for businesses in the Midway district after a massive water main break.
Water service was restored to businesses in the area around 7 a.m. Friday. However, crews are still on the scene, trying to fill a massive sinkhole created by the break. Crews have not said when the final repairs on the main will be finished.
This is the latest information. The previous story is below.
SAN DIEGO (CNS/CBS 8) - Water department crews are working through the night into Friday morning to repair a ruptured water main and restore water service to several businesses in the Midway area.
That broken water main flooded traffic lanes and parking lots in a bustling commercial district along Rosecrans Avenue, south of Midway, late Thursday afternoon.
The ruptured 12-inch-diameter underground pipe began sending waves of water across the roadway in the 3300 block of Rosecrans shortly before 4 p.m., according to the San Diego Water Department.
It took a crew about an hour to halt the deluge, which sent "a lot of water" surging through the area, SDWD spokesman Arian Collins said. It was not immediately clear if any structural flooding resulted.
The mishap left four businesses, including a motel, temporarily without water service.
The Super 8 Motel sustained significant flood damage to at least 15 of its ground-level rooms. The motel's in-ground pool was also covered with several inches of muddy water caused by the break. All of the motel's guests had to be re-located Thursday afternoon.
Manager Pete Patel told News 8 he was shocked how quickly the property took on water.
"I didn't think it would be too bad, then the next thing you know, garbage cans were floating around, and it took 45 minutes to turn of the water, so that caused more damage," Patel said. "Within an hour, we had half a foot of water in the rooms."
What caused the 12-inch PVC pipe to break in the first place is under investigation. Water department authorities say the pipe was relatively new.