A broken sprinkler in an Alumni Square stairwell flooded five student apartments late Sunday night, forcing several students to evacuate for a day while facilities personnel contained and removed the water.
University officials said that the malfunction likely occurred after a ball being thrown by students in the stairway struck the sprinkler. The broken sprinkler, which appeared to be on the top floor of the building containing apartments 53 through 60, sent water cascading down the building’s stairs, into rooms and out of third-floor windows and the building’s main door.
Alison Brusch (COL ’08) had to leave her second-floor apartment shortly after the sprinkler broke and the fire alarm went off. She and her roommates were able to salvage their computers and other valuables before the water damaged them, she said.
“It wasn’t too bad. It was just a puddle on the living room” floor and water flowing down into the room through ceiling light sockets, she said. “We just heard the alarm going off and we saw the water.”
Residents of a third-floor apartment stayed during part of the flooding, trudging through the rising water to collect their possessions and remove them from the building.
Melanie Jacobs (COL ’08), who was also forced out by the flooding, said that she didn’t know where she would be able to stay last night.
“Earlier the water was coming from the third floor,” Jacobs said. “Water just started coming out of the third-floor windows.”
Facilities personnel waited at the base of the building to answer questions and help students find housing for the night as they exited.
University spokeswoman Julie Bataille said that repairs to the building would proceed quickly.
“The water extraction of these apartments will be complete by the end of the day and residents will be able to return to their apartments,” Bataille said. “The apartments will be cleaned [today] but that does not require the rooms to be vacated.”
Bataille also said that residents would be able to calculate property damages once they return to their residences.
“Once students return to their apartments they will assess property damage and work with the Office of Student Housing to seek reimbursement or repair as warranted.”
Hall sports are prohibited in campus residence halls. University officials said that an investigation into the incident is ongoing.
Flooding also occurred in Village B last Tuesday when Duncan Trott (COL ’08) hit a sprinkler in his apartment with a football.
“The entire sprinkler head just fell off the ceiling,” he said. “We basically had to stay with friends for a couple of nights until they cleaned it up.”
Trott said that he was supposed to have a talk with his hall director, but he has not yet been contacted. He added that the only property damage was to some books and clothes that were left on the floor.
Sprinklers only went off in Trott’s apartment and the apartment next door, he said.