San Francisco firefighters close downtown intersection due to sinkhole

Water main break, sinkhole block intersection in downtown San Francisco

A downtown San Francisco intersection was reopened, hours after a sinkhole forced its closure to motorists, authorities said Wednesday morning.

Fire officials said the sinkhole opened at the intersection of California and Montgomery streets at around 7 p.m. Tuesday night.

The block of California between Montgomery and Sansome was shut down as Department of Public Works crews addressed the problem.

Video from the water spewing up from a burst pipe below, but officials did not confirm whether the water line break caused the sinkhole or was the result of it.

One man on a motorcycle fell off his bike because of the sinkhole. He suffered minor injuries and was treated at a hospital, but was released an hour later.

A cable car was stuck right behind the sinkhole after the motorcyclist was injured. SF Muni crews carefully moved it past the sinkhole Tuesday night once the scene was cleared, but the intersection closure impacted cable car service until California Street reopened.

The intersection was closed for about 12 hours while crews patched the sinkhole.

The intersection of California and Montgomery streets is fully open to the public, the city's Department of Emergency Management said on social media shortly after 7 a.m. Wednesday.

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