GREENWICH VILLAGE — A water main broke on the corner of Macdougal Street and West Third Street on Wednesday evening, flooding three basements including two belonging to NYU dorms, according to FDNY Chief John Bley.
A building not associated with the university also had its basement submerged in six inches of water, Chief Bley told DNAinfo New York. Although the cause of the break is not yet known, Chief Bley noted that there had been recent construction on the street.
As the event unfolded, several witnesses posted pictures and video on social media.
A video posted by Twitter user Brett Essler shows officials surveying the scene, where water can be seen gushing into the street.
Huge water main break at cnr of McDougal & W 3rd near NYU. pic.twitter.com/N5QtJ6NADu
— Brett Essler (@brettessler) August 19, 2015
Two pictures posted by user Elizabeth Ladzinski show the street corner cordoned off by FDNY.
.@DNAinfo so much water! pic.twitter.com/PhmyvI9a2G
— Elizabeth Ladzinski (@lizladz) August 19, 2015
.@DNAinfo water flooding the st. at MacDougal and 3rd pic.twitter.com/3wgjML1dGA
— Elizabeth Ladzinski (@lizladz) August 19, 2015As of Wednesday evening, the water had subsided.
A spokesperson from Con Edison told DNAinfo that a gas team went to the scene to evaluate the situation.
Phone calls to the Department of Environmental Protection and New York University were not immediately returned.
