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Clouds of steam, traffic disruption after pipe bursts in Warsaw

11.12.2019 13:00
A burst hot water pipe caused disruption to residents and commuters as plumes of steam billowed over parts of Warsaw on Wednesday morning. 
The site of the heating system breakdown in southern Warsaw on Wednesday.
The site of the heating system breakdown in southern Warsaw on Wednesday.Photo: PAP/Mateusz Marek

Officials warned of possible problems with the supply of heating and hot water to many homes across the city on a chilly December day.

The temperature in the Polish capital was below freezing when the pipe burst in an area around Powsińska Street in the city’s south just after morning rush hour, state news agency PAP reported.

Aleksandra Żurada, a spokeswoman for Veolia Energia Warszawa, the heating system’s private operator, told the news agency that the breakdown was likely to disrupt heat and hot water supplies throughout the city.

Warsaw Mayor Rafał Trzaskowski has convened a crisis management meeting, a spokesman for City Hall, Kamil Dąbrowa, told reporters.

Firefighters said they helped some 100 people after about 200 vehicles, including seven buses, were stranded in the area after the incident, the PAP news agency reported.

There were also reports of hot water flooding local cellars and garages, leading to several people suffering burns.

Police were advising motorists to plan alternative routes after the disruption left parts of the city clogged with traffic jams, public broadcaster TVP Info reported.

(gs/pk)

Source: PAP, TVP Info