A broken pipe in the sprinkler system at the Mitchell High School Performing Arts Center caused minor flooding Monday.
At 1:15 p.m., the Mitchell Fire Division arrived on the scene and found a broken pipe in a coat closet near the east side of the building.
According to Ben Vanden Hoek, Mitchell Fire battalion chief, no fire or injuries were reported. The sprinkler system was shut off and everyone in the building at the time was evacuated by the time first responders arrived.
"I was expecting it to be a lot worse," said Dan Muck, Mitchell Technology and School Security Director. "It was only concentrated to a small part of the building."
Mitchell School District Superintendent Joseph Graves and Mitchell Fire Marshall Marius Laursen were also on scene to assess the situation. Muck said he didn't expect a lengthy cleanup process for the excess water.
ADVERTISEMENT
According to Vanden Hoek, it was likely a malfunction in the pipe system that caused it to break.
