A water main on Route 123 (Main Street) in downtown Hancock broke Monday, leaving many residents without water for some of the day.
As of Tuesday, the water supply had returned, and a crew was finishing paving over the fixed water main.
Hancock Director of Public Works Tyler Howe said he wishes the break hadn’t happened, especially on a holiday, but due to the state of the systems and the region’s weather patterns, breaks are common in New England towns.
“It’s an aging system,” Howe said. “Unfortunately it does happen.”
Howe said there is not enough infrastructure money to completely update the system, but that it is fixed for the present. Despite the misfortune of the break happening on a holiday, he said crews were out working to repair it promptly.
Smoke near the gazebo
In addition to the water main break, there was smoke next to the gazebo in downtown Hancock on Monday.
“There was about a one-foot-square of mulch smoldering on the ground,” said Hancock Fire Chef Thomas Bates.
According to Bates, onlookers called the fire department after noticing the smoke. An off-duty fireman who was nearby with his children poured a jug of water on the mulch. Then a Hancock firetruck arrived. Firemen took out the hose and sprayed water in the area to protect against any further smoldering.
Bates said there is no indication as to what caused the incident.
Both Bates and Howe said that there was no connection between the water main break and the smoldering mulch by the gazebo.