A water main break shut down an intersection in Boston's Beacon Hill neighborhood early Friday morning, causing traffic headaches and water in nearby businesses.
The break happened at about 3:30 a.m. on Charles Street and impacted Revere Street as well.
It took crews from Boston Water and Sewer nearly four hours to stop the flow of water. Most of the water was restored as of 9 a.m.
"There was some debris in the shutoff that couldn't be shut off," said Boston District Fire Chief Paul Ristino. "That vacuumed it off so they could get to the shut off."
Traffic was expected to be impacted in the neighborhood as well as on nearby Storrow Drive while the road was repaired.
Meanwhile, businesses owners spent the morning surveying the impact the break had on the area, with several businesses on Charles Street telling NBC Boston they had water damage.
It wasn't the day employees at North River Outfitter Kids expected on the start of a busy weekend.
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"We're going to have a delayed opening, most likely in order to try and clean as much as we can," said clerk Beth Rathlev. "When I saw what was happening with all the water I knew it was coming right for Kids."
At Whitney + Winston, another children's clothing store, they spent the day cleaning out water from their extra inventory — much of which they keep in the basement.
"There's a lot of stuff floating around down there. A lot of stuff knocked over," said clerk Brianne Stief.
With several inches of water in the basement, family and friends decided to lend a helping hand.
"Figuring out exactly what we need to do — what damage we have — we're sorting through," Stief said.
While the cleanup continues, some residents in the area feel it's time for an upgrade to the existing sewer system.
"I think our infrastructure definitely needs a little bit of work in this city," said resident Ted Broderick.
It's still not clear what caused the break or when water will be completely restored.
