Broken water line causes huge mess in Phoenix neighborhood

PHOENIX (KSAZ) - Hazmat crews are cleaning up a big mess on Tuesday after a water and gas line broke in the middle of a Phoenix neighborhood.

SkyFOX was over the scene near 82nd Avenue and Buckeye where water was gushing out of a broken main line.

Streets in the neighborhood began to fill up with water and the pressure from the broken water line also caused a gas line to burst.

VIDEO: https://www.facebook.com/FOX10Phoenix/videos/1902587743123097/

Water reached the driveways of two houses in the neighborhood, and two homes had to be evacuated. Residents, however, have since returned to their homes.

Fire crews say it is very rare to have to deal with two major issues at the same time, but their first priority was the gas leak, as gas is flammable.

"The concern with any kind of natural gas leak is natural gas will pool in an area and it can cause explosions," said Phoenix Fire Captain Kenny Overton. "It's extreme hazardous to the residents in the area."

Meanwhile, the water main break caused a huge crater to form.

"The puddle was just getting bigger and bigger, and the hole was getting bigger," said Martin Mendivil, who lives in the area. "It started smelling like gas, and firefighters were here and had their masks on."

Mendivil said residents shared the concerns Phoenix firefighters had over the hazards.

"Everybody was just scared," said Mendivil. "Oh, what's going to happen? Is there going to be an explosion or something?"

As crews work to fix the damaged lines, water and gas have been turned off.