Fort Worth fire truck falls into sinkhole caused by water main break

FORT WORTH, Texas - A Fort Worth fire truck is back on solid ground after falling into a small hole while responding to a water main break on Wednesday.

The water main break happened on Canterbury Circle in Fort Worth near I-30 and East Loop 820. The break cracked the road.

Homeowners say they could see the water rushing out from beneath the pavement. Several people started to worry their homes would flood.

But when the fire department arrived, they found out just how unstable the road had become after a water main break underground.

Battalion Chief James McAmis says he got the call around 4:15 p.m. Wednesday that water was rushing down Canterbury Circle.

11-year-old Yaretzi Flores was in her room when her mom shouted to call 911.

“I ran outside and I saw that it looks like a river all around the place,” she recalled.

Meanwhile, her brother Jared Flores was at work when he got a frantic call from mom to get home.

“As soon as I came in, I just saw water running from about two blocks down,” Jared said. “I’m like that can’t be coming from my house.”

Chief McAmis says the Fort Worth Water Department started shutting off the valves as fire engine squad 2 slowly made its way down Canterbury Circle. Right in front of the Flores home, the fire engine went down and created a large sinkhole in the middle of the street.

Yaretzi and Jared say they spent an hour trying to sweep the water out of their garage with brooms.

Eventually, a tow truck arrived and workers hooked the frame of the truck to a crane.

Neighbors, police and the Flores Family all gathered to watch as squad 2 finally came out of the hole. The driver was unharmed and breathed a sigh of relief.

The challenge for road crews is to make sure the street is stable enough to reopen. Chief McAmis does not have a time frame on when the sinkhole will be filled. The road remains closed.