BOSTON (WHDH) - A massive water main break flooded streets and several buildings in Jamaica Plain Tuesday afternoon, and work continued Wednesday to clear the scene and assess the damage.
Boston Fire District Chief Joseph Walsh said the pipe that burst is three feet wide and gets fed from multiple spots, so it initially took hours to turn off. It’s still unclear what caused the 130-year-old pipe to burst.
Water bottles were brought in by the truck load to Jackson Commons Wednesday, because people in apartments nearby say they have no running water.
Several businesses in the area took on water, some with several inches flooding offices. Many buildings were forced to close Wednesday as clean up continued.
People inside nearby daycares that flooded had to be evacuated by firefighters. Walsh said crews were able to get everyone inside those buildings out safely through back doors.
“We immediately sent firefighters inside and they located routes out of the building where it wasn’t necessary to step in water, so we kept everyone dry,” Walsh said.
The Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America’s nearby office as closed Tuesday afternoon, but was back up and running on Wednesday.
“This whole front area was covered in water here about one, two, three inches,” accounting director Philippe Gibeault said. “We were here until, like, 10:30 with the cleaning crews getting all the fans set up and when I came in this morning at like 6:00, everything was nice and dry.”
Gibeault said this is the second time in a few years this much water has been in the street.
“We’re in good shape right now; we’ll probably run it for another day or two just to make sure everything is dry and there’s no humidity in here but we are fully functional right now,” Gibeault said. “We got very lucky.”
Stephen Mulloney, a spokesperson for the Boston Water & Sewer Commission, said this type of water main break is unusual situation.
“These are rare — big mains — but they do happen a couple times a year,” he said. “The issue here was getting the gates and the valves shut the main down and unfortunately the closest gate was way up the street so it took a lot of work.”
Mulloney said the pipe dates back to 1897 but it has been relined and rehabbed over time.
“It’s been reliable for many years. But it’s certainly one of the older pipes in the system but it’s been there for us all those years.”
(Copyright (c) 2026 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)