Downtown watermain break at historic restaurant
Posted January 29, 2013 5:44 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Toronto city crews have repaired a downtown watermain break that saw water gush out of an historic restaurant and flood a nearby underground parking lot.
The leak began at Carman’s Dining Club on Alexander Street, near Church and Carlton streets, around 4:20 a.m. The basement flooded and the water spread to the parking of a nearby apartment building.
It took crews longer than expected to stop the break: the restaurant is so old, the main wasn’t on the map.
Carman’s, credited with bringing garlic bread to Toronto, closed in 2009.
Meanwhile, there was a burst pipe in an abandoned building at Richmond and Spadina streets. Fire crews were able to turn off the pipe.
Work crews are coping with wildly fluctuating temperatures. The freeze-thaw cycle damages the underground pipes, causing them to burst.