Repairs being made after pipe bursts
CRANBERRY TWP — A burst sprinkler pipe flooded a portion of Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic High School Tuesday afternoon.
The flooding occurred shortly after 2 p.m. when water covered the floor of the school’s ground-level cafeteria, stairwell and part of an upstairs rear hallway near the school’s athletic wing.
Township Fire Chief Todd Rice said the pipe burst was caused by a hallway door to the outside being left open.
“It froze and just broke,” Rice said of the pipe. “They forgot to close the door. It got a little cold and it froze the pipe.”
Temperatures Tuesday were in the low to mid 30s.
Rice said the overall damage was “not too much.”
Principal Luke Crawford also said damage was minimal. He also said no investigation into the incident will occur.
“In terms of location, everything was concrete,” Crawford said. “It’s just a matter of cleaning it up.”
Water was removed with wet/dry vacuums and brooms and doors were open to let the water flow out.
Crews were finished by 4 p.m. However, investigators were in the school throughout the afternoon.
Some faculty members were in the building when the flooding started. No injuries were reported.
Classes had been canceled Tuesday due to the snow, and they have been canceled today while repairs are made. School officials said school will reopen Thursday.
Crawford said the new sprinkler head will need approval before being operational.
“If it (flood) were in a different location of the school, that would have been problematic, like in the auditorium, chapel or academic wing,” Crawford said. “In terms of any place in the school that this would occur, it was probably the best place it could happen.”
Crews from the Adams Area Fire District and the Marshall Township Volunteer Fire Department in Allegheny County were also on the scene.
Township EMS and police assisted.
