Water main breaks in Little River, floods streets

Thousands of gallons of water gushed from a broken water main Thursday afternoon in the Little River neighborhood of Miami, opening a sinkhole that almost swallowed an ice truck.

Just after 4:30 p.m., the truck’s driver was heading north on Northeast Fourth Court when he tried to make a left onto 71st Street. He passed over a puddle of water pooling from a break in a water main underneath the road.

When the truck’s rear tire passed through the water, the driver heard a loud pop from the back of the truck. A sinkhole had opened, and his truck was sliding backward.

“Then he noticed thousands of gallons of water start to spew out behind his truck,” said Miami Fire Rescue Capt. Ignatius Carroll.

With the help of a tow truck, fire rescue crews pulled the truck out before the sinkhole swallowed it up. Water continued to gush, spilling into the intersection and nearby streets, until about 7:20 p.m., when crews were able to shut the water off.

One nearby business, Miami Auto Inc., suffered extensive flooding.

“It is unknown how many residents are affected by this,” Carroll said.

This story was originally published January 7, 2016 at 6:13 PM with the headline "Water main breaks in Little River, floods streets."