Vandalized sprinkler system floods Manzi-Mo

Katherine K. Gardiner Arizona Daily Wildcat Residence life custodian, Francisca Mendoza, mops up a second floor restroom on the Mohave side of Manzanita-Mohave residence hall yesterday afternoon. Mendoza said that she had been cleaning for 8 hours after Monday night's flooding of the hallways on two floors including the basement.

Tucson firefighters responded at 10:34 p.m. to an alarm at Manzanita-Mohave Hall, 1000 N. Park Ave., said Capt. Brian Delfs, a Tucson Fire Department spokesman.

No injuries were reported at the hall, and residence life officials would not estimate damage. However, UA fire safety officer Joe Queiruga said the flooding caused an estimated $1,000 damage to the alarm system.

The flood was also a major inconvenience for hall residents busy studying for midterms.

"I was in my room when the fire alarm went off," said accounting sophomore Christine Gordon who lives on the second floor of the hall.

"A guy came knocking on all the doors to make sure people were out," he added.

With temperatures in the low 60s last night, students wearing shorts and casual clothes huddled together trying to stay warm.

Residents shared jackets and blankets as they waited to get back into their rooms.

When firefighters arrived and checked the alarm, Delfs said they found an indication of water flow.

Water flow can signal that there is a fire, so about 27 firefighters and 7 fire trucks arrived on the scene, Delfs said.

University police kept traffic from the area at four locations: East First Street and North Tyndall Ave., Park Avenue and Second Street, Park Avenue and First Street and Speedway Boulevard and Park Avenue.

Water was nearly ankle deep on the third floor when crews entered the area to find the source of the water, Delfs said.

Firefighters shut off the sprinklers when they found no fire on the third floor. Crews checked the rest of the building for fire and found no evidence of a blaze, Delfs said.

"It is pretty clear no fire was involved," he said.

Delfs said it is rare that a sprinkler head will burst on it's own, except in colder climates. University Police reports stated the cause was "possibly a sharp blow."

Delfs estimated 1,200 gallons of water flowed through the hall and down the stairwell. Fire crews removed the water with vacuums, squeegees and mops after the system was shut down, he said.

Firefighters left the residence hall at 12:35 a.m., Delfs said.

Students were allowed back into the hall shortly after fire crews left, said Herb Wagner, assistant director of risk management and safety.

The flood started in the third floor stairwell of the girls wing, Mojave, he said, where water ran down the stairwell from the center of the third floor and reached all three floors including the basement, he said. "Lucky it happened there and not by the rooms," Wagner said explaining that more damage could have occurred.

The damaged alarm system was repaired yesterday afternoon, Wagner said.

A circuit board in the main alarm panel, which costs $700 to replace, and two sensors, priced at $100 each, were damaged by the water, he said.

Because the system was disabled, Wagner said, "Fire Watch" crews patrolled the halls throughout the night as a precaution.

Teresa Holt, desk service manager at the hall, said aside from damp carpets the residence halls operations were back to normal as of yesterday.

"The roof above the front desk is falling down, there is some damage to the ceiling," Holt said.

UAPD Sgt. Robert Sommerfield said the culprit could face criminal damage and false reporting charges among others.

He said there have been three such acts of vandalism so far this year at residence halls around campus.