Detroit neighborhood cleaning up after water main break

12-inch pipe breaks, flooding west Detroit neighborhood at McNichols, Evergreen roads

DETROIT – A west side neighborhood is cleaning up after a water main break early Friday morning.

It happened at the corner of Evergreen and McNichols roads. That water main break left some of the neighbors stranded inside of their homes. Now, the homeowners and even some drivers are trying to figure out what they're going to do next.

It was a 12-inch pipe that broke and caused the neighborhood mess. With below-freezing temps it wasn't long before the water started turning to ice in some areas leaving people like Krystal Jones stranded.
"I'm very upset!" said Jones. "It's coming through my side door going down my basement steps and I got water gushing in from my side windows And you can hear water just coming in. It's like a waterfall inside of my house."

We could only interview Jones by speaker phone because the water was so high as she stood on the front steps of her home. With her car in the driveway flooded, her homes is literally now an island.

"Did you guys have plans today? Were you planning on heading out and about maybe to do some Black Friday shopping?" asked Local 4 .

"Yes we were but that's a wrap!" replied Jones.

Thankfully, a few houses up, Macio Rooks was able to get out of his home but only through a back door.
"it was all the way up to the steps!" said Rooks.

Driver after driver took their chances trying to make it through the water. Unfortunately, Henry Fielder wasn't so lucky. The engine on his minivan flooded, leaving him trapped inside his car. He climbed out the window and waited on the top of his roof while someone called 911. Firefighters had to use a fire truck just to rescue him.

"I didn't know the water was that high till I got about right there and by that time my car stopped on me," said Fielder.

A Detroit Water and Sewage Department spokesperson tells Local 4 that this water main break was likely due to the cold temperatures and more are anticipated throughout the winter season.

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