Major water main break floods East Falls shopping center

courtesy NBC10

A 48-inch, 120-year-old water main burst open Thursday afternoon, flooding an East Falls shopping center, NBC10 reported.

Televised images from the scene showed firefighters leading, and in some cases carrying, shoppers through flood waters in the parking lot.

The flood waters submerged several cars in the parking lot and rushed into several stores.

The main broke at approximately 3 p.m. around Fox Street and Roberts Avenue. Rushing water poured from the pipe more than an hour as crews struggled to shut off water to the area.

The burst main comes just four days after another major water pipe, a 36-inch main, burst near 52nd Street and Wyalusing. That flood damaged dozens of cars and homes.

Pipe facts:

Water Mains in the City of Philadelphia: 6-inches to 93-inches in diameter.

Average Age:70 years

Life Expectancy:120 years

Cost to replace one-mile of pipe:$1.3 million

Number of miles replaced annually: 22

Average number of water main breaks per year:750

Metro Philadelphia