Large water pipe bursts at Springfield apartment complex as cold temperatures continue

By On Mar 29, 2021

SPRINGFIELD, MO (KY3) – Cleanup work at an apartment complex in Springfield lasted all day Tuesday after a water pipe burst caused a massive surge of water over a staircase in the building.

A surge of water and a fire alarm startled several people in Aspen Springfield, near downtown, early on Monday morning.

“I watched Netflix and heard the fire alarm go off,” said Dallas Finley. “I thought it was part of the show that I saw. It took a few minutes and then the show went quiet and I was like waiting, this is actually happening in our apartment. “

The residents were surprised what triggered the alarm.

“So I went over here and there was only one group of people and I was like what the hell is going on? And they were like a look, ”Finley said. “And I saw and it was bad.”

An ordinary staircase had quickly turned into a raging river.

“I heard some noises and rushing water,” said Finley. “It was like, have you ever been to a waterfall? It sounded like that. “

Finley said the water rushed all over the stairs.

“There was water on the ceiling, water almost shot at us,” he said. “You could look down and see the water flowing down the stairwell all around.”

While Finley’s apartment avoided any damage, a handful of the apartments below were hit by the falling water.

“That was like the worst, my room on the first floor,” said resident Jonny Estrada. “And when I walk in here, my bathroom was a lot worse than the actual area where my bed is.”

Estrada said he was not home when the pipe actually burst, but his roommates let him know what had happened and that there could be possible damage to the apartment.

Estrada said some water even seeped through the vents, but luckily he said the damage doesn’t seem too great.

“Aside from staining the floor and what’s not in the walls and all of that, it’s pretty limited,” he said.

Estrada said the cleanup was quite a pain.

“Firefighters and others were here, I guess they pushed water out of the doors,” he said. “And the owners tried to do everything possible to get the water out.”

The Springfield Fire Department was heavily involved in the cleanup process.

“Not only did we help shut off the water, we also saved the property,” said David Pennington, Springfield fire chief. “So we’re going to help the building and let it flow where it needs to flow so it doesn’t keep flowing and damaging the structure.”

The dripping from the eruption has stopped, but clearing up the ice and slush may take some time. Much of the water froze on parts of a nearby sidewalk and street.

Chief Pennington said a significant number of calls were alarm calls from burst pipes. In this case, the running water can even lead to a power failure. SFD said pipes may continue to do so if those cold temperatures persist, and they suggest people let some faucets drip.

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