Broken Water Main Forces Evacuations

A broken water main flooded Cranston streets, submerging cars to their windows and forcing more than 100 people from their homes. Rescuers used rafts to evacuate elderly residents. Authorities did not know what caused the 5 1/2-foot main to break shortly before noon, blowing a 15-foot hole in a city street. Muddy water gushed past homes and businesses for about a mile in this city of 76,000 before the main was shut off at 4 p.m. No injuries were reported. “We were driving down the road and I had to take my glasses off. I said to myself, ‘Am I hallucinating?’ ” said Lori Antonelli, who turned her car around and went home. A spokesman said the ruptured main caused a gas leak under a street. The gas was shut off.