AUBURN – Torrents of water were flowing down Center Street early Friday morning after a water main burst beneath the pavement.

“It’s one of the biggest water main breaks I’ve ever seen,” said police Lt. Jason Moen. “I foresee them being there a long time.”

Moen speculated early Friday it would be several hours until Water Department crews could dig into the street and locate the source of the problem.

The work could cause massive delays during the Friday morning commute on Center Street, where traffic is always heavy.

Moen said it was too soon to say if all four lanes of traffic would need to remain blocked during the commute. However, police were preparing for that as a possibility.

“If that’s the case,” Moen said, “it’s going to be a horror show.”

Just after 11 p.m., water began pouring from under a rock wall in front of Camera Service Center at 379 Center St.

At the same time, pavement in the center of the road broke open, sending a geyser of water into the air.

One man who lives in the area said water to his home stopped flowing about 11 p.m. He wandered out to Center Street where he found a police cruiser set up in front of the bubbling geyser near the camera store.

Police were blocking a section of Center Street on either side of the main break while waiting for crews from the Auburn Water Department.

Most businesses around the area were closed when the main broke. However, the Ground Round still had two hours of business left at the time.

An employee at the restaurant said it would stay open as long as there were customers and as long as new customers could reach the eatery.

Area residents in an area from Woodlawn Avenue and University Street were reporting they had no water service following the break. Others reported low water pressure in their homes.

The street was expected to remain closed into Friday morning while repairs were being made.