It was not a water main break in Newark this morning, but rather a ruptured underground fire line that spilled water into some streets.

The break happened around 1:30 a.m. near the old Prudential Building on Academy Street, just off Broad Street. Because of all the utilities, it took a little longer to find the shut off valves.  

“This is a high-pressure fire line that feeds the Prudential Building, an 8-inch line. It burst this morning,” says Newark Water & Sewer Director Kareem Adeem.

The fire line allows firefighters access to water if needed to battle flames in the high-rise structure. 

“I don’t know of any basements that were flooded,” says Adeem. “I mean, however, when an underground pipe breaks, a lot of the utilities' underground manholes or conduits, they tend to get water in them, and that water could travel to a basement or as far of as a mile away.”

The city said the leak was stopped at around 12 p.m. No residents or businesses lost their water service.

Crews have begun cleaning up the mud caused by the water break and repairs are underway.