VIDEOS AND ADDITIONAL PHOTOS ARE AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS STORY.
A significant water leak on Tuesday evening has closed Bluffton's town hall indefinitely. This morning the building has a strong moldy smell as fans are set up through the structure drying it out.
The Icon received the following message from Rick Skilliter, police chief, concerning the incident:
"A significant water leak was discovered at 10:04 p.m. Tuesday night on the third floor of the Bluffton town hall. Water has damaged all three floors and will require extensive clean up efforts.
At the present time, there is no telephone or internet service to the village offices. Callers can still use 911 to reach the dispatcher for an emergency issue.
The town hall will be closed through the rest of the week to allow for clean up. An outside cleaning service is on site working with village officials to expedite the process.
The damage to the third floor surface will take some time to repair. Anyone who planned on using the third floor for a celebration between now and the end of June is encouraged to begin finding alternative locations in case the room will be unusable.
As information about how and where to contact village officials is finalized the information will be made available via local media outlets and NIXLE.
Village officials appreciate the public understanding and cooperation as we do our best to facilitate assessment, repair, and recovery from this event."
Additional information
Because of its size, the town hall has its own fire pump system. When the sprinkler head broke, that sent a signal to the pump system that "water is needed." The pump in the town hall has the capability of pumping 750 gallons of water per minute.
More than likely 150 gallons per minutes flowed through the broken sprinkler. It is estimated that the water flowed for 10 minutes before being completely shut off, resulting in a minumum of 1,500 gallons of water spread in the town hall.
The fire department received an automatic alarm when the sprinkler broke. The department was at the scene almost immediately.
A clean-up company had equipment in place by 1 a.m. The village insurer's adjuster will be on site this morning.
Village offices will be set up in a temperary location and all of that information will be provided on the Icon as soon as it is available.
CLICK HERE for video of second floor (police department) damage
