PGW, water main, Southwest Philadelphia

SOUTHWEST PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- 56th and Woodland in Southwest Philadelphia is the epicenter of a big problem for PGW and at least 700 customers.

Philadelphia Gas Works has turned off service to a 15 block radius because water got into a gas main and that's not a good thing.

"No hot water, no gas, can't cook," resident Carolina Macasieb said.

PGW says on Saturday a water main burst at 56th Street and Woodland Avenue forcing more than 40,000 gallons of water into an 8-inch gas main.

Businesses from laundromats to restaurants had to close.

For days, PGW used giant vacuums to remove the water from its mains.

Then an army of workers went door to door. 300 customers got a green light and restored service today, but some others got a red tag. In those cases, water surged past the gas meter and into inside lines.

Deli owner Wood Kheang was tagged; it means he may have to hire an outside contractor to repair if needed and certify his grill is safe.

His question is will the city pay for that.

"I was calling the water company to see who is responsible for this stuff. One would blame the other. No straight answer," Kheang said.

Action News, however, is told the water department is taking responsibility.

It is going to start reaching out to the red tagged customers and offer them the use of the department's own private contractors to fix the systems should they have been damaged by the water.