A large sinkhole opened up in San Francisco’s ritzy Pacific Heights neighborhood (Picture: NBC)

A huge sinkhole has opened up in the middle of a busy San Francisco intersection.

The asphalt streets at the intersection of Fillmore and Green Streets caved in on Monday morning after a water main broke the night before, flooding the area.

The dramatic street collapse has caused chaos in the tony neighborhood of Pacific Heights, home to ritzy mansions and dramatic views of San Francisco’s landmarks.

On Sunday night just before midnight, a 16-inch water main broke near the intersection of Fillmore and Union Streets, just one block from where the sinkhole would later emerge.

The water main was made from cast iron and installed in 1949, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission confirmed.

The break caused ‘intermittent water service and temporary service interruptions’ as well as traffic disruptions, the commission said on Sunday night.

Videos from the scene showed water and refuse pouring out of the water main overnight. The sinkhole appeared early on Monday morning.

‘SFPUC crews responded to the scene and worked through the night to stabilize the situation,’ the commission said. It is not clear how long it will take to repair the sinkhole, which has engulfed a large portion of the intersection.

The San Francisco Department of Emergency Management issued a warning for residents to avoid the area.

The sinkhole in San Francisco is not the first to engulf American roadways this year.

In January, a sinkhole opened up on a road in Los Angeles, briefly trapping a mother and their young daughter in their car.

It took about 50 firefighters to rescue the stranded motorists deep inside the hole.

In April, a nearly 1,000-foot-long sinkhole opened up on a roadway in Daisetta, Texas.

The 400-foot deep hole engulfed cars and terrified local residents of the small town about 55 miles from Houston.

The dramatic street collapse has caused chaos in the tony neighborhood of Pacific Heights.