A pipe burst in the Mountainview residence hall on Mount Carmel Campus around 7 p.m. Wednesday night, flooding three suites and forcing 24 students to relocate.
John Morgan, associate vice president for public relations, confirmed in an email to The Chronicle that it was a hot water burst.
Facilities were seen working on repairs in suite 460’s bathroom toilet on the fourth floor where the pipe burst. Water flooded on the floor at least an inch high to the naked eye.
Water then flooded down to the second floor, causing ceiling tile damage and soaked carpets. Facilities workers and resident assistants told residents in suites 460, 360 and 260 to collect their items and that they would be relocated. Several personal items were damaged.
“The impacted students have been offered an opportunity to relocate to other university housing while repairs are being made,” Morgan wrote.
Additional facilities workers and Student Affairs immediately arrived at the scene. They used vacuums to drain water from all the suites and worked to repair ceiling tiles.
Workers checked the surrounding suites for damages but only the aforementioned three suites were affected.
Information about the incident instantly spread to other students and parent pages on social media, causing concern and confusion.
“(We) were walking by and then we saw a huge waterfall come down from the ceiling,” Robert Testa, first-year finance major, said. “And then the whole tile came down, basically making a Moutainview waterfall.”
Students affected by the water await further information as to when they can return to their room and get reimbursement for damaged items.
About a year ago, on Jan. 17, 2024, Mountainview faced a burst sprinkler head causing damage to six suites.
This is a developing story and will be updated once more information becomes available.
