Attleboro man faces icy aftermath as water main break floods, freezes yard
ATTLEBORO, Mass. (WJAR) — An Attleboro man is dealing with an icy mess after a water main break sent thousands of gallons rushing through his yard.
Now the water on Main Street has frozen over.
Cell phone video showed water blasting through Scott Shalachman’s side yard Monday night.
"Water main break just sunk the ground in, a little sinkhole action, and then it just blasted the gravel and dirt out, and it was kind of flowing like a white water rapid," said Shalachman.
The water tore downhill, toward nearby train tracks.
Crews say it took 40 minutes to turn it off. Shalachman and his family watched as the water rushed through his property.
"It was blasting out, like, right here, and just smashing up against this tree, and then just, I mean, it was like a flowing river back here last night," he said.
By morning, the river was gone and replaced by a frozen sheet of ice, covered in dirt and gravel.
While the break was a city issue, fire officials warned that colder temperatures should put homeowners on high alert.
"One of the most important things is being prepared before the emergency actually happens," said Lt. Corey Blais.
That starts with knowing your shutoffs, and keeping heat circulating as the temperature drops.
"If you are going away on a trip or for a longer time, make sure you heat on at least 65 degrees and then open the cabinets in your kitchen so the air can get behind the doors," said Blais.
City officials said water service has been restored, and crews are continuing to monitor the area. The road is also back open.
