Spring Break
Water Leak Causes Student Union Evacuation
Fressia Singngam
Issue date: 1/29/07 Section: News
A pipe burst on the southeast corner of the Student Union (SU) Sunday evening, forcing facilities operations to close the entire building for the night.
"It was a pipe in a unit heater on the top floor of the southeast corner of the building," said Karen Grava, a spokesman for the university.
The pipe had froze and burst on a stairwell, according to Grava.
Everyone in the SU was forced to evacuate after a fire alarm went off around 5:30. A fire truck and two university facilities operations vehicles showed up on scene.
After the building was evacuated, the SU remained closed to clean up the damage the burst pipe had caused.
"They [had] to shut off the water to the south side of the building and [had] to keep that out until they solder in a new piece," Grava said.
"They have already cleaned up the mess," Grava said just before 8 p.m. Sunday. "We have a great emergency crew. They get there as soon as they can, but these things happen."
Grava could not say when the new pipe would be put in.
Before the fire alarm went off, one side of the Union Street Marketplace had been closed off before the building was evacuated, as the Marketplace tried to keep the other side open. Employees placed buckets strategically collect the flowing water.
"When I walked in [the food court], the whole side was roped off, and there was a steady flow of water from the ceiling," said Brian Sherman, a 4th-semester exploratory major.
"The whole pizza area was just a downpour," said Kassie Tillem, a 6th-semester human development and family studies major who was in line at the SU food court around 5 p.m.
"We were going to eat there for dinner," Tillem said. "There were people who were waiting in line forever and didn't get food. They [food court workers] were making people pay who had food and then evacuate."
When the fire alarm went off, it took a while for students to evacuate. SU staff went around the building and told people to leave.
"It was a pipe in a unit heater on the top floor of the southeast corner of the building," said Karen Grava, a spokesman for the university.
The pipe had froze and burst on a stairwell, according to Grava.
Everyone in the SU was forced to evacuate after a fire alarm went off around 5:30. A fire truck and two university facilities operations vehicles showed up on scene.
After the building was evacuated, the SU remained closed to clean up the damage the burst pipe had caused.
"They [had] to shut off the water to the south side of the building and [had] to keep that out until they solder in a new piece," Grava said.
"They have already cleaned up the mess," Grava said just before 8 p.m. Sunday. "We have a great emergency crew. They get there as soon as they can, but these things happen."
Grava could not say when the new pipe would be put in.
Before the fire alarm went off, one side of the Union Street Marketplace had been closed off before the building was evacuated, as the Marketplace tried to keep the other side open. Employees placed buckets strategically collect the flowing water.
"When I walked in [the food court], the whole side was roped off, and there was a steady flow of water from the ceiling," said Brian Sherman, a 4th-semester exploratory major.
"The whole pizza area was just a downpour," said Kassie Tillem, a 6th-semester human development and family studies major who was in line at the SU food court around 5 p.m.
"We were going to eat there for dinner," Tillem said. "There were people who were waiting in line forever and didn't get food. They [food court workers] were making people pay who had food and then evacuate."
When the fire alarm went off, it took a while for students to evacuate. SU staff went around the building and told people to leave.
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