Mike Gaunt watched as water burst through the asphalt on York Road in Cockeysville on Friday morning.

“Right away the water gushed out immediately,” said Gaunt, an employee at Brooks-Huff Tire and Auto Center. “It’s pretty wild to see a water main break out front like that. I’ve never been so close to one.”

Baltimore County Police said that a water main break occurred around 9:30 a.m. Friday between Brooks-Huff Tire and Auto Center and the Wells Fargo bank on York Road.

Baltimore City Department of Public Works could not be reached to comment.

York Road has been closed in between its intersections with Ashland and Shawan roads for hours as the emergency repair is underway.

“It began the size of a couple tires, and now it’s consumed the entire road,” said Samantha Giancola, co-owner of Bagel Works.

Giancola said she called 911, and the police and fire department showed up around 10:15 a.m.

The parking lots of both businesses are flooded with deep muddied water. Business owners and employees on the stretch of road watched for hours as authorities battled the stream of water erupting from the ground.

“The intensity of the water is making the road split open,“ said Giancola. Deep and uncontrollable, the impact of the breakage was so deep in the road that it was shocking, she said.

The water didn’t slow down until shortly after noon, Gaunt confirmed in a text message.

In 26 years of business at this Bagel Works location, Giancola said, the last time that this stretch of road experienced a water main break was five years ago, “and it was not nearly as large as this.”

Bagel Works closed this morning when they lost access to their water. With 15 employees, Giancola is concerned that they won’t have income while they wait for the water main to be fixed.

“This is the time where we can help each other and come together as a community to support our strip. Come to the corner of Ashland and get an oil change. It’s things like that, the simplest things, that will make an impact,” said Giancola.