Massive water main break floods businesses, parking lot in southwest Atlanta

ATLANTA — A water main break caused a washout in southwest Atlanta.

The water main broke at Fairburn Road near the intersection of Cascade Road. The 30-inch water main sent water spewing into the air and into a nearby parking lot. Hundreds of thousands of people are now under a boil water advisory.

A construction worker told Channel 2's Audrey Washington they were doing some work in the area when "something went wrong."

The water from the break flooded the parking lot and sent water into nearby businesses. The water rose high enough in the parking lot that it reached the headlights of some of the cars parked in the lot.

A Channel 2 Action News viewer was getting her hair done when she said she got a quick warning and then saw the parking lot outside flooding.

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“Some construction workers ran in and said, 'Whoever is parked closest to the shop, can you all move your car?' And we were all like, 'Why?' And we looked and the pipe burst and there was water flooding all the way through everybody’s car,” witness Armani Martin said.

The cause of the main break remains under investigation.

Atlanta Watershed Management has issued a boil-water advisory for Chattahoochee Hills, the city of South Fulton, Union City, Fairburn and Hapeville because of the main break.

Atlanta Watershed said water should be boiled for one minute past a rolling boil before use.

Repairs were expected to be finished by 7 a.m. Tuesday morning. Officials said they will have to sample the water and follow certain protocols before lifting the boil water advisory.

City of Atlanta Department of Watershed Management said Tuesday that due to the repairs currently underway, water service is impacted at Fairburn Road near the intersection of Cascade Road, including areas west of I-285 south of Cascade Road SW.

Fairburn Road is closed to traffic between Cascade Road and Utoy Springs Road SW.

Cox Media Group