A 16-inch water main under McCully Street broke shortly after 1 p.m. yesterday, sending water gushing onto nearby streets, disrupting traffic on the busy thoroughfare and flooding at least one apartment.

Police closed McCully Street from Fern to Waiola streets because of fissures in the makai lanes where the water erupted and cracks appeared in pavement in the mauka lanes. Honolulu firefighters helped in the cleanup caused by the flooding.

The break was near the intersection at McCully and Date streets.

Su Shin, Honolulu Board of Water Supply spokeswoman, said 43 customers were without water and the cause of the break wasn't immediately known. She said repair crews would be working into the night.

Police said the street could be closed for 12 to 24 hours.

Police and fire officials said there were no injuries or major damage, although the water flooded streets Ewa of McCully and left gravel, rocks, silt and debris on nearby driveways and sidewalks.

Alvin Sylva, 53, whose two-bedroom apartment is off McCully and about a couple of feet below street level, said when he heard people yelling, he went outside and saw water gushing as high as 2 to 3 feet above the cracked McCully pavement.

“;The road was broken up, like a small explosion,”; he said.

Sylva said he didn't know how much damage the water caused to his carpeting and furniture, but said his floor was covered with in 3 or 4 inches of water.

“;It was pretty messed up,”; Sylva said after firefighters helped clean up his home. “;It never did get flooded like this, even in the heavy rains.”;

Dennis Tatsuyama, 64, who lives above Sylva's home in the two-story building, said he thought it was raining, then saw water gushing down a stairway toward their apartments.

He said the rushing water looked like a “;rapid.”;

“;I never seen water like that,”; Tatsuyama said.

Neighbor Clifford Leong, 72, a longtime resident who cleaned his driveway of debris, said he wasn't surprised because it happened previously.

Shin said the same stretch of main near McCully and Date broke in 1994.