H2-uh-O: Vancouver apartment sprinkler mishap creates wet chaos
Residents of a Vancouver apartment building have been wetly impacted by leaking water in what one resident claims was a sprinkler mishap.
Daily Hive spoke to one of the residents of the building, which is located in the Science World area. They were shocked by what they experienced earlier this week on Monday.
“I was in the lobby when a resident alerted me to hearing water in the elevator, which I was confused about.”
When the elevator doors opened, the resident noticed water rushing into it and down the stairwell.
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“I was shocked at the amount of water and immediately wondered what the hell happened.”
They added they were at a loss for words, telling themself it wasn’t raining that hard. It hadn’t occurred to the resident what might’ve caused it. Based on their experience in the building, they later learned that a single sprinkler caused the water-induced chaos.
Apparently, a contractor wielding a ladder had accidentally struck a sprinkler, causing water to rush down 15 floors. They also believe some water damage likely hit some of the nearby units.
A video of the chaos was shared on Reddit.
They also shared a video of water coming out of the elevators, vaguely resembling something from The Shining.
Some of the footage the resident shared exclusively with Daily Hive made it look like rain was falling in an elevator.
A #Vancouver resident shared some pretty wild footage of a leak in their building.
Apparently it was caused by a single sprinkler!
Story tomorrow šš pic.twitter.com/WGvUi6mK4z
ā Amir Ali āØļøāļøš“āā ļø (@AmirsDoingItAll) July 30, 2024
These elevators are clearly out of order:
ā Amir Ali āØļøāļøš“āā ļø (@AmirsDoingItAll) July 30, 2024
The resident said that contractors in the building were running around, and they seemed unsure of what to do.
“I’m sure a lot of it was shock or panic.”
Thankfully, the resident said the building community is pretty tight-knit, so the response to the situation was swift.
“Dozens have offered their support in helping others manage the damage, and towels were put near stairwell entryways to try and keep the water from seeping onto every floor. Firefighters showed up, turned off the valve, and removed as much water as they could. We had eight to ten emergency restoration vans show up fairly quickly after the firefighters left, and they brought dozens of dehumidifiers with them. ”
The resident added that getting those dehumidifiers up the flooded floors was probably challenging.
According to the resident we spoke to, the building is about 21 to 22 floors, so thanks to the damage to the elevators, some residents have been forced to get their steps in.
“We have a great community here, so lots of residents have been helping carry groceries, bags, and suitcases up to those who aren’t able to right now.”
While some building residents feel bad for the contractors, they also think they should’ve responded quicker or had an emergency plan.
“More awareness needs to be brought to the catastrophic damage a single sprinkler can do, especially in the event that there isn’t a fire, as this type of issue can not only raise insurance rates for the building, contractors, and residents but also those in the surrounding community.”
The resident said that in a city like Vancouver, with such a limited housing supply, there isn’t the luxury of being able to house hundreds of displaced residents.
“Many of us have very little wiggle-room when it comes to disposable income or an emergency fund, given the insanely high cost of living and the fact that salaries haven’t kept up.”
“What a mess,” they added.
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