A water main broke and began flooding the area at the intersection of Merrie Road and Avent Ferry Road Wednesday at approximately 5 p.m.

According to Tommie Styons, assistant chief of the Raleigh Fire Department, the cause of the break was unknown as of 6 p.m. Wednesday.

Public Utilities, the Raleigh Fire Department and the Task Force of Tankers — in case a fire starts — arrived on the scene, Styons said.

“Hopefully, we can contain it to a small area,” Styons said.

Crews stopped the water flow at around 6:10 p.m.

According to Public Information Officer Jim Sughrue of the Raleigh Police Department, the crews were unable to determine how long it would be until the roads became open to traffic as of 6:30 p.m. Wednesday.

“It’s not a police matter, except for the traffic issues,” Sughrue said.

Water no longer flowed to several residential apartments near Gorman Street and Avent Ferry Road, including Gorman Crossings and Centennial Village.

Bethany Peters, a senior in math education, said the break was an inconvenience.

“I want to take a shower, but I can’t,” she said. “My biggest concern is that we don’t need to lose any more water.”

As of 11 p.m., the water had not been turned on at Gorman Crossings, and crews had not yet repaired the break.

The water main break caused the Route 9 Greek Court Wolfline to detour at the intersection of Avent Ferry Road and Gorman Street, and Route 1 also experienced delays, according to an e-mail from Starr Wimberly, Wolfline transit manager.

Copy Desk Chief Megan Roberts contributed to this report.