The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
System was back up in 24 hours
[ by Mark Reaman ]
Accidental damage to a sprinkler head resulted in a major flooding situation in the Axtel Building located at the base of the Silver Queen on Wednesday, December 14. According to Crested Butte Fire Protection District (CBFPD) fire chief Rob Weisbaum, the exact amount of water involved has not been determined but it was enough to cause damage to several units in the building including residences and Crested Butte Mountain Resort corporate offices. He guessed that at least several hundred gallons of water flooded the building.
“We were notified by the monitoring alarm system as intended,” Weisbaum explained and said the alarm was triggered about 8:50 p.m. on the 14th. “Upon arriving on scene at 12 Snowmass Road, the crews conducted a quick 360 survey, and no active fire was noticed. Shortly after, an occupant of the building notified fire crews that a fire sprinkler head had broken on the upper floor. The cause of the broken sprinkler head was accidental and caused by an individual on the fourth floor in their residential unit.
“Unfortunately, we don’t know exactly how much water flowed, however it was significant,” Weisbaum continued. “Numerous residential units were damaged, the CBMR administrative offices were damaged, the ground floor ski locker room had damage, and the Gunnison Valley Health (GVH) Mountain Clinic had some minimal damage.”
Weisbaum reported that the sprinkler system was shut down and the building placed on fire watch until the systems could be restored. That took place the next day when the damaged sprinkler head was repaired. “This system was back up and running within 24 hours,” he said.
“Occupants were allowed to remain in the building and the mountain clinic remained open so that services were not impacted to those who may need medical care,” he said.
Seven CBFPD personnel responded to the scene and the site was cleared about 2:30 a.m. on the 15th.
