Sprinkler accident wreaks havoc in Cumberland Hall

Orono, Maine – Wednesday seemed to be a pretty normal day, partly cloudy, not too hot, not unbearably cold, just normal. The residents in Cumberland Hall were surely going about their everyday study routine and then it happened. A sprinkler in room 327 was unintentionally set off by the male resident whose name is being kept undisclosed. As a result, the building had to be evacuated at approximately 4pm and had to wait three hours to be allowed back in.

The residents were quite angry with the series of events. It was a disruption to their everyday lives; one girl said “it made [her] late getting to class.” For those living in the rooms beneath 327 on the second and first floor it was more than just a disruption. The sprinklers supposedly release 60 gallons per minute. The water eventually leaked all the way down to the first floor, damaging many valuable items in the rooms along the way. Some of the students living in these rooms were displaced to other rooms or halls.

A resident said that the “fire department, police, and UVAC were all called in” to take care of the situation. The water was turned off and then the cleanup process started. Although the majority of the water was gone by the end of the night, the cleanup process is still far from over. Ceiling tiles still need to be replaced and there is a possibility that mold spores may grow from the leftover moisture.

Rumors are flying abound on the whole ordeal. Questions like “who is going to be charged for the damage?” “how much is this going to cost?” and “how did the sprinkler actually go off?” are already being answered by many residents. But the simple truth remains that these questions have yet to be officially answered and the dorm has not been assessed for damage.