Evacuations advised in Belmont after water main break

A water main break in Belmont on Friday morning prompted a strong suggestion to evacuate because the rushing water could compromise four homes.

The break was reported on Monserat Avenue before 4 a.m. but sent water, possibly between 2,000 to 5,000 gallons of water a minute, to homes below the hill.

Some homeowners woke up to loud thuds and feared an earthquake until they came outside and saw the rushing water on the sids of their houses. Belmont fire officials said the break under the street is pushing water underneath the retention wall and sending it down the hill onto homes on San Juan Boulevard.

"We saw three to four cracks,"  homeowner Shaheen Kazi said. "When I see the river next to our home, I'm wondering about our foundation and soul."