FORDHAM HEIGHTS — A large sinkhole nearly swallowed the back end of a city Department of Environmental Protection truck as workers searched for a broken water main at the intersection of East 184th Street and Valentine Avenue Saturday morning.
“DEP was there to check on a water leak when the sinkhole happened,” said the spokesperson for Office of Emergency Management.
The city Fire Department pumped out 2 to 3 feet of water from six buildings that were flooded after the break, said the spokesperson. FDNY also assisted in pulling the back end of the DEP truck out of the sinkhole.
“There is a hole and people told me there was a broken pipe. This morning there were a lot of fire trucks,” said Julio Pinentel, 57, an employee at the nearby Little Giant mini-market grocery store. “And they stopped the water, but the store and customers weren't bothered.”
DEP stopped the water leak by shutting off the main water valve, and there were no evacuations, the official said.
