Frustration building after street collapse, 3 days without water or gas

FISHTOWN (WTXF/AP) - Work is underway for the third straight day on the Fishtown street where a major water main break left a huge sinkhole and homes without water and gas.

FOX 29's Lauren Johnson was there as Philadelphia Water Department crews showed up on the 2300 block of E. Boston Street.

It could take them days to fix the sewer pipe and water main. They're using more flexible iron pipes to repair and replace the old ones, which are under added pressure because of the cold.

In fact, a rep from the city says it's winter when we see the most breaks, sometimes 20 per day! Crews sometimes work 12 hour shifts, six days a week. They start as early as 8am and work as late as midnight to make repairs.

In this case, the water department said shifting soil over many years moved the six-inch water main, which broke Sunday between 9am and 10am. That caused a 30 foot-by-10-foot hole large enough to swallow two cars.

Tuesday morning, 17 homes still don't have water. That's down from 20, and people there have been given bottled water.

Also, six homes are without gas in this freezing cold weather.

Unfortunately, a handful of customers closest to the street collapse will likely have no water or gas for at least a week. They say they want their lives back to normal.