School evacuated due to ruptured sprinkler

The auxiliary gym was flooded Wednesday when an errant ball ruptured a pipe in the gym's sprinkler system.

The softball team was practicing in the auxiliary gym due to the rain. A softball player hit an "incredi-ball," a ball similar to a softball but softer, into the sprinkler during softball practice. The pipe broke and water flowed from the pipes into the gym. The fire alarm sounded shortly after, but announcements said evacuations were not necessary. Half an hour later new annoucements were made to evacuate the building. Silver Spring Fire Department station 16 was called.

The girls softball team, boys volleyball team, and co-ed volleyball team helped prevent the water from flowing into the main gym by stopping the water from flowing under the divider with paper towels.

According to fire department officers, the main valve was shut off immediately, however the water already in the pipes had to be drained before the pipe could be fixed.

After the sprinkler system was drained, school building services started cleaning the mess. By 5:35, all water had been removed from the gym.

Building service worker Cliff Wallace estimated that 200 to 300 gallons of water were in the gym.

All evening activities at the school were cancelled. According to principal Phillip Gainous, workers were expected to fix the pipe that night, and school continued as usual Thursday.

The water flowing from the sprinkler system was originally black. Building services suspect that the black discoloration was due to soot in the system.