Home flooded after water main breaks in Burnaby neighbourhood

Burnaby water main break floods homes A water main break left some Burnaby residents with water rushing into their homes.

Cleanup is underway in a Burnaby, B.C. neighbourhood where a burst water main flooded at least one home overnight.

The main broke late Sunday on North Ingleton Avenue, prompting residents to rush outside with wooden boards in a desperate attempt to divert the water.

But the flow proved too powerful, and water quickly flooded into the basement of one property as the homeowners cried out for help.

Christine Brendzy told CTV News there was a frantic dash to protect precious items as brown water began rushing into their house.

"I was madly trying to rescue photo albums," she said. "I tried to rescue important papers and things but obviously you can't rescue everything when water's coming – and then I was worried about getting electrocuted."

Firefighters arrived on scene within minutes, but residents said it took about a half hour for a water works crew to shut off the water supply.

Asst. Fire Chief Barry Mawhinney said despite the efforts of first responders and neighbours, the damage to Brendzy's home appears "pretty severe."

"Water's a horrible thing and can do a lot of damage," he said. "Our guys did a good job of cleaning up after the fact. Once we got the water stopped is when we could start making the situation better."

Fortunately, Brendzy said her family is insured.

Crews worked overnight and returned to the Burnaby Heights neighbourhood Monday morning to continue cleanup.

A number of homes are without water in the meantime, and there has been no word on how long it will take to repair the main and turn the water back on.

With files from CTV Vancouver's Breanna Karstens-Smith