Up to eight properties were flooded when a water main ruptured on Alexandra's Bridge Hill yesterday.
Water sprayed about 30m into the air and the geyser was visible from the town's fire station, about 1km away.
After the main burst in Bodkin Rd
water flowed down The Half Mile to the Alexandra Bridge, and through residential sections.
Debris littered the streets.
Firefighters from the Alexandra Volunteer Fire Brigade and the Otago Rural Fire Authority created dams and diversions to help protect property, as Fulton Hogan staff isolated the burst main and shut off water.
Bodkin Rd resident Alan McCrostie said he was working in his garden about 3.30pm when he heard water from the geyser hitting rocks nearby.
He diverted water to stop it flowing into other properties.
The geyser reached the height of nearby pine trees.
Alexandra Station Officer Shane Ryan said more than 20 firefighters and two appliances attended.
Between six and eight houses had bedrooms, gardens and basements flooded.
Alexandra Chief Fire Officer Russell Anderson said the brigade had to wait for Fulton Hogan staff to turn off the water before beginning pumping.
The flow of water had abated by about 5pm.
The extent of the damage from the flooding was not yet known. Some of the water flowing down The Half Mile ran into Barbara Dickinson's basement garage. Inside were her Mini car, a lounge suite, freezer, and other family items.
Her son, Aaron, noticed the flooding, but there was nothing he and Barbara's grandson Troy (11) could do.
''It flooded the whole basement. There would have been 2 feet (76cm) of water at the peak.''
The fire brigade pumped water out on to the street, but the freezer, rubbish bin and other items were ''floating''.
Mrs Dickinson was visibly upset about the flood.
''I had a lot of stuff in there, stuff that belonged to my mother-in-law, kids' old toys''.
She had insurance and was thankful for the efforts of the fire brigade, which ''did a good job''.
Central Otago District Council water services manager Russell Bond said water supplies to only ''a couple'' of properties would be affected.
