A quiet Sydney street was thrown into chaos on Friday as residents described a wave of water rushing through their windows from a burst pipe.
Sydney Water said network technicians were assessing a leak on the main when it burst at Binya Place in Como, a suburb in the city’s south, on Friday afternoon.
Four to five houses were affected after a “large water main popped”, according to Supt Adam Dewberry from Fire and Rescue New South Wales.
Fire and Rescue NSW said there had been significant damage.
One resident Amara Nanra, 26, said she was sitting at home when she heard a huge smash as a wave of water poured into her downstairs area.
“It was just coming through the window,” she said.
She said she rushed downstairs, but couldn’t get close to the water as it poured through the window.
“Pretty much it just got worse… It just kept flooding the house downstairs.
“I was just worried about my house… it was literally spraying all around,” she said.
She said downstairs the floorboards were coming up, with shards of glass everywhere and furniture was all wet.
Residents of the affected properties moved belongings in front of their homes to dry out after the burst, and some were left without power.
A representative from Ausgrid who was at the scene said it could take some time before the power is turned back on.
“Everyone will be without power for a while,” the representative said.
“They have to get their own electrician to come in and test all the circuits inside to make sure there’s no water damage inside there. Once they can prove that all the circuits inside are fine, then the power can be turned back onto them.”
Sydney Water said crews had isolated the main and repairs were underway.
“Customer advocates are on site working with impacted customers and assessing the damage.”
The pipeline connects to Woronora Dam which supplies water to Sutherland, Cronulla, Engadine, Heathcote, Helensburgh and Stanwell Park.
