December 7, 2007
A sprinkler damages 18 suites in University of Virginia dorm. Friday, students and maintenance crews spent the day cleaning up the damage.

This all happened Thursday afternoon at Bice house on Brandon Avenue. Friday, most of the water was cleaned-up, but students could smell the damage and feel the moisture when they came home.

It all started when a student on the 7th floor hung a shirt from a sprinkler head. When he pulled it down the sprinkler system set off, flooding a number of rooms on several floors.

“As I was walking down the street, down Brandon Avenue you could kind of see the water dripping out through the brick and I was worried that maybe there was water damage to my apartment,” said Kadeem Cooper, a resident of Bice.

Students were forced out of the building, many returning home for the first time Friday afternoon, including Cooper. He said he's fortunate to have very little damage, but others can't come home until Sunday.

“It was a lot of drama for what seemed like a small incident. Apparently there's a lot of water damage in the apartment and the apartment underneath it,” Cooper said.

Clean-up crews said a number of electronics such as laptops and gaming systems were ruined, but the university is reporting at this time no one has filed any personal property damage claims.

Four units remain empty, while others are cold. The heating system in a number of rooms has been turned off until an electrician can give the go ahead.

The university estimates $15,000 worth of damage to Bice House and that is primarily to pay for the cleaning company.

No word yet if the student at fault will be punished.