Coronado evacuated after toilet mishap

A faulty valve in the toilet forced water to flow from the catastrophic commode for about 20 minutes, said university police Sgt. Vince Roberts.

By that time, the west side of every floor, from the fourth down to the basement, was flooded, he said.

"If you've seen the movie 'Titanic,' it was just like that," said finance freshman Adi Knishinsky, who was waiting across the street from the hall after the evacuation. "Water kept slowly creeping up and up in the rooms and hallways."

The water was 2 or 3 inches high on the fourth floor, then poured down the stairs like a waterfall and even leaked through the floor into rooms below.

University of Arizona police officers responded to the hall first, then called the Tucson Fire Department.

TFD received the call about 8:30 p.m. and sent seven emergency vehicles, Battalion Chief Gerry Bates said.

But it took officials a while to find the building's main water valve and shut off the flow.

Shortly after, students living in affected areas of the building were allowed to quickly enter their rooms and salvage personal items. After the water was shut off, salvage teams began cleaning up the water with mops, squeegees and special vacuums.

As of 11 p.m., the cleanup effort was still going on and students were not being allowed back into their rooms.

Roberts said he saw substantial damage to furniture, ceilings, light fixtures, clothes, carpets - anything that was on the floor got soaked.