ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Repairs are underway after a massive water main break along Montgomery and Morris Sunday afternoon. 

Nearby neighbors say they didn’t have water for a few hours while crews tried to stop the gushing water. 

“I found out the water was out, I knew it was a problem somewhere, so what do you do? You go look at the neighbors, and they’ll tell you what’s going on,” said Charles Garrett, a nearby neighbor.  

Albuquerque Fire Rescue crews were out trying to stop the break, but not before a house was hit by the high pressure water shooting out of the pipe, forcing some of their stuff from the garage into the street. 

On Monday, crews were out starting the repair process and digging around the rest of the pipe.

“It was very odd just to see the water going up that high and to see the house being almost destroyed, the garage collapse like that, it was really weird,” said Able Archuleta, a nearby resident.  

He says this is the first time he’s seen a water break this large, but he’s dealt with it before.

“This is not the first time there’s been a water main break on Montgomery and Morris, it’s happened before, twice actually within the last year,” said Archuleta. 

A Water Authority spokesperson says this water main pipe that burst is from 1973, and the cause seems to be from a tap made in the mid ‘80s. 

KOB 4 asked about the damage to the home nearby. 

“When situations like this occur, our risk management department takes over and will work with the property owners to make sure that they’re made whole,” said David Morris, a Water Authority public affairs manager. 

Morris says water was restored Sunday night. People we spoke to say luckily it didn’t impact them too much. 

“I actually had a couple buddies’ that I went to and filled up some jugs. So a minor inconvenience, but it wasn’t too bad,” said Archuleta. 

The Water Authority says repairs are expected to take at least a week. In the meantime, there could be intermittent water shut-offs for short periods of time. 

The Water Authority says it tried to notify people as best they can in advance, but sometimes they happen too quickly. 

We did hear that the homeowner with the damaged garage has a service dog missing, and that there is a $500 reward. “Ivy” is a big black dog, and she is microchipped. Anyone with information can contact Rose at (970)-560-5663.