Walla Walla fire crews respond to burst water pipes

Jan. 20--Burst pipes presented watery problems for Walla Walla fire crews as the city warmed up after a long spell in a deep freeze.

A main sprinkler line break forced the closure Whitman College's Reid Campus Center from early Wednesday until Thursday afternoon.

The break flooded the landing and filled the basement with 1 to 2 inches water, destroying carpet and ruining some furniture beyond repair, Whitman spokeswoman Gina Ohnstad said.

The pipe was a main sprinkler lateral line near the building's main staircase, Walla Walla Fire Department Capt. John Knowles said.

A dollar estimate on damage and losses was not immediately available.

The post office and outdoor program rental shop, both located in the basement, reopened yesterday, but the rest of the basement remains off-limits, Ohnstad said.

The cafe also reopened, and the campus bookstore has relocated its stock from its basement location to the ballroom on the ground floor in order to continue textbook sales.

The college hopes to have the campus center back to full functionality in the next couple of weeks.

"It's an important building on campus, so we're moving as fast as possible to get things back up and running," Ohnstad said.

Another building flooded by a burst pipe was in the downtown building that housed the former McFeely Hotel and Tavern.

Fire crews were dispatched at 11:39 a.m. Thursday to the building, at 129 W. Alder St., and found about 4 inches of water flooding the basement. A valve had broken on the building's water supply to its internal fire hose, according to Knowles.

Firefighters shut off the water and utilities to the building and drained some of the water. The building's owner was out of town, but Knowles said a relative was contacted to arrange for mopping up work.

"We have the ability to move a limited amount of water," he said, "but typically ... we direct the building (owner) to one of the restoration companies in town that can remove water quicker."

Andy Monserud can be reached at andymonserud@wwub.com or 509-526-8326.

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