A broken water main has flooded several basements and caused the ground to open up in front of an East York home.
A 25-centimetre-wide pipeline on Rexleigh Drive, in the area of Woodbine Avenue and O'Connor Drive, burst at approximately 6 a.m. on Monday morning, according to officials.
Water spilled into the street, flooding the basements about a dozen homes along Rexleigh Drive.
“I went downstairs to check it out,” said Saman Pourasa, the owner of one of the affected homes. “I was surprised that it was full of water there -- above the knees.”
Half of the affected homes were without power Monday as hydro was shut off after the water level rose past the electrical sockets.
Some residents described seeing water bubbling up from their toilets. In some cases, basements were flooded with raw sewage, making the cleanup process more difficult for residents.
“The whole basement is destroyed,” said Paul Lordanidis, another affected homeowner.
A car-sized sinkhole also formed outside of one home on the street, approximately 100 metres away from the site of the broken water main. The sinkhole, residents said, was in the same spot as another water main break patched up by the city a few months ago.
According to local residents, water main breaks and flooding are nothing new for Rexleigh Drive.
“Rexleigh has issues and the city should do something about it,” Lordanidis said.
That frustration prompted a visit by Toronto Mayor John Tory Monday, who listened to the homeowners’ concerns.
“I hope to learn about this just as one example of infrastructure around the city that is in need of, perhaps not just more repair, but is in need of replacement,” the mayor said.
As of Monday evening, all but one of the affected homes have been cleared to have their power restored. Water is expected to return to the homes later Monday evening.
With a report from Zuraidah Alman
