Water main break floods downtown Philly streets

PHILADELPHIA (AP) " A large water main break has flooded a number of streets in downtown Philadelphia.

The break happened before 4 a.m. Tuesday, and a number of center city streets have been closed. There are reports of power outages.

The street flooding has forced the detour of a number of bus routes ahead of the morning commute.

There was no immediate word on the cause of the water main break. But officials say the extreme heat that has scorched the region in recent days may have played a role, with customers using more water than usual.

Water department crews were working to turn off valves across the city and were working their way closer to the site of the break. But they say that process could take a few hours.