Blown gasket floods Hull High gym

HULL - A burst water pipe flooded the gym and two adjacent rooms at Hull High School over the weekend, School Superintendent Michael Devine said.

The flooding was discovered when a coach arrived at the school Sunday morning to conduct a practice, Devine said. About two inches of water covered the entire gym floor, the girls locker room and a storage room, Devine said.

The police and fire departments were called to the school, and the electricity to the gym area was shut off as a precaution.

Devine said a gasket in a water pipe had burst sometime over the weekend, causing the flooding.

A commercial cleaning company was hired and has drained the water from the floor. Multiple fans will be blowing in the gym for the next few days at the recommendation of the cleaning company.

The gym will remain closed until it has been determined that the wooden floor is safe for use by students, the superintendent said.

"Thankfully, this situation didn't happen while anyone was using the gym," Devine said. "We are in the process of going through our insurance company to determine the extent of the damage. We are hopeful everything will be back to normal before the start of the basketball season in late November.