Dozens of people were forced from their homes early Wednesday when a water main burst in Pointe-Claire.
Some residents of the suburban neighbourhood were woken up by water making its way into their basements.
The basements of several homes were flooded, as was a townhouse complex on Sources Blvd. and Tudor Ave.
Resident Dino Contos said her daughter was sleeping in the basement when the water came pouring in.
“She didn't hear it. We came down because someone knocked on our door and said, ‘Do you have flooding?’ She was sleeping right through it and it was all coming out,” she said.
Christina Rolfe was woken up by a late-night phone call.
"Two o'clock in the morning, I get a phone call: go and check your basement. I come downstairs, I'm walking down the stairs, I'm hearing banging at my door and there are about five firefighters," said Rolfe.
She was among those then ordered out of their homes by safety officials.
The water flooded several detached houses and an apartment building, the water pressure being so high water was going from unit to unit until crews finally arrived to turn off the valves.
Residents packed up essentials and were given temporary shelter on an STM bus.
"Apparently the landlord tried to call the city, they didn't answer so she had to call the fire department," said Rolfe.
It appears the water was 20 to 40 cm deep throughout several units before firefighters arrived to pump water out of basements.
The city of Pointe-Claire said no blue-collar workers were on the job overnight, so it took about two hours to locate them and bring them in early.
Water pressure in the area north of Highway 20 and west of Trudeau airport was low for several hours until the broken pipe was repaired.
Water was turned back on by noon.
Contos said she has a big cleanup ahead, but she’s grateful she bought renter’s insurance.
“It's done. Everything needs to be gutted and fixed,” she said. “I'm waiting for my insurance company to call me back and hope for the best.”
- With a report from Denise Roberts
