Broken water main causes flooding at Department of Health

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- UPDATE - The Fresno County Department of Public Health will remain closed through October 19.

Health officials ask the public to call (559) 600-3200 or visit www.fcdph.org for information on how to access services.

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A massive water main break shut down the Fresno County Public Health Department and nearby businesses, Wednesday.

Crews worked into the night repairing the 12-inch pipe that flooded the basement and parts of the first floor at the department.

And they were not alone, county workers also busy moving computers from the building, hours after some 300 employees were sent home early.

David Luchini with the health department says the biggest concern is the basement which was impacted the most.

That is where testing for different infectious diseases like tuberculosis and influenza takes place.

"We're moving our vaccine that needs to be refrigerated at a certain temperature and frozen at a certain temperature to other partners so they can store it for us," said Luchini.

Nearby businesses were forced to close shop early as well.

Not great news for 'Cookies N' Things.'

The owner tells us they are losing money after only being open for about a week.

A similar story for the Fresno Grizzlies.

After a water main rupture a little over a month ago canceled a Monday night game.

"They are both cast iron pipes over 50 years old just old pipe failing," said Bud Tickel with the Fresno Water Division. "The infrastructure Downtown is old and it needs to be replaced but water mains do fail throughout Fresno. They are not perfect they get leaks they do have cracks."

Until then the priority is cleaning up the damage and three to four feet of water that flooded the building.

The city says so far this year there have been about 50 to 60 water main breaks.

And to put that into perspective there are just under 1,900 miles of water mains in Fresno.