FORT WORTH, Texas — The extreme heat may be to blame for a massive water main break in downtown Fort Worth, that flooded an entire street Thursday morning. And some officials are calling it one of Fort Worth's largest water main breaks ever.
The incident occurred around 4 a.m., according to city officials. The Fort Worth Water Department posted video of the massive break, as water surged from a main line and flooded nearby streets along Lancaster Avenue. Officials said Lancaster was shut down from Henderson and Ballinger streets, on the southwest side of downtown Fort Worth.
Officials said Thursday night crews have removed the broken pipe and begun installing a new one. They hope to have the line back in service overnight.
Water rushed inside Cook Children's Child Study Center too, forcing the facility to cancel classes for the day.
A picture posted by the city water department showed what appeared to be a large trench along the curb of a street where the water main broke. The area along the curb was still flooded.
Several hours later, city officials said the main break was contained but that crews were still working to repair the 30-inch line. In the meantime, the road closure through the area was reduced, though Lancaster Avenue from Ballinger to Lake was still closed as of Thursday evening.
Vice President of Operations at Cook Children's Hospital, Natalie Wilkins, got a firsthand look at the damage after the flooding subsided. She said at one point, there was at least one to two inches of water in the Child Study Center. A restoration company was called in to help remove the water.
"The water stopped flowing into the building about. 9 a.m. this morning. And so, we've been re-mediating the water and vacuuming and cleaning since then," said Wilkins.
At least two classrooms and several offices were filled with water. Fortunately, there is little to no damage to school equipment used daily in the classrooms. Still, Wilkins and school administrators had to make adjustments to the school day by contacting parents.
"Some had arrived, some we were able to contact and did not have to come in, but some were already here and had to be picked up," said Wilkins.
As crews continue to repair the line, the water department said even though it's not clear, one cause may be the consistent 100-degree days North Texas is experiencing, as more water use puts more pressure on the pipes. It's also possible the heat dried out the ground, causing it to shift and break a pipe.
"It could just be a combination of more people using more water," said Fort Worth Water Department spokesperson, Mary Gugliuzza. "So, we're pumping the water and more pressure on these pipes," she said.
Gugliuzza expects crews and contractors at the scene to work well into the night to repair the line. She's urging drivers to avoid the West Lancaster Street and Henderson area as much as possible.
The water department has responded to underground breaks in pipes before but nothing this major in a long time. "The majority of our water main breaks are six to eight-inch water pipes," said Gugliuzza.
A water main also broke in downtown Dallas on Wednesday, Aug. 16, as North Texas is in the middle of a stretch of hot weather with triple digits in the forecast for at least the next 10 days.
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