MANCHESTER, NH — A water main break shut down traffic on Hooksett Road Thursday night and disrupted business at the Puritan Backroom restaurant.
Manchester Fire received an alarm at Maple Tree Mall on Hooksett Road/DW Highway North at approximately 8:15 p.m. on Nov. 29. While en route companies were diverted to a major water main break in front of the Puritan Backroom where the roadway was collapsing, after discovering the alarm activation was a result of the water main break.
Police initiated road closures between Webster Street and Red Coat Lane.
Water encroached on the restaurant and their function center as water gushed from the 12-inch water main. Fire officials instructed patrons to move their vehicles, and the road was closed. Manchester Water Works arrived to locate the water shut offs.
Fire crews charged a five-inch hose line with water to divert water away from the Puritan Conference Center, where water had risen a few feet away from the entrance. Catch basins were opened to divert some of the running water.
The restaurant, which at the time of the break was occupied by more than 150 people, and the adjacent conference center were forced to close.
Crews will continue to work on the repair overnight. Quick action by Manchester Fire personnel prevented water damage to the Puritan conference center, according to District Chief Hank Martineau. The road will remain closed overnight.
