A water main break flooded four homes and a residence for intellectually disabled people in Montreal Thursday morning.
The break happened on L’Assomption Boulevard, between Belanger and St. Zotique Streets, at 5 a.m.
Firefighters were clearing snow from blocked sewer grates and removing water from basements for about an hour.
The residents at the home for the intellectually disabled were relocated to another house nearby.
At 6 a.m., city workers arrived to fix the water main. L’Assomption Blvd. will be closed in both directions for most of the morning.
Operations chief Michel Girard says these breaks are to be expected with intense freezing temperatures.
Girard also issued a warning to people who want to thaw pipes with blowtorches. He said there have been several fires in the past two weeks that began inside the walls due to scorching hot pipes.
