Photos taken by Jake DiBlasio

By Nina Weiland, Owen Klessel, Jake DiBlasio and Jack Dowler

A burst sprinkler pipe on the third floor of Centennial Hall at Delaware Valley University damaged multiple dorm rooms Monday, forcing at least 18 students to relocate after water leaked through two additional floors.

The university is working through the Student Life division to provide assistance and temporary housing options.

“It was 18 all together, with six really most seriously impacted, and the university’s been working with them through the Student Life division,” said Delaware Valley University’s Vice President of Marketing, Communications Kathleen James. “The Dean of Students has been involved in this, getting them support and what they need to put things back together and move on with the semester.”

She said the damage was caused by a burst pipe connected to the building’s fire sprinkler system. She explained that sprinkler pipes typically contain the water that would be used to suppress a fire, and officials believe some water had collected in the sprinkler head mechanism. When a power outage occurred over the weekend, temperatures dropped and the water inside the pipe froze.

As temperatures rose and the building warmed back up, the pipe burst, causing water to leak through multiple floors.

“It had been making some noise, and that got reported, and so facilities had been there, called the company, a plumber was on the way, and got here right after it happened,” James said. 

Reporters from Delaware Valley University’s student media outlet, The Full360, were on the scene Tuesday as students assessed water damage that included soaked belongings, cracked ceiling tiles and a hole in the ceiling. Many worked to salvage personal items and pack their belongings to relocate to other areas on and off campus.

Student Nolan Massaro witnessed the emotional reaction from students affected.

 “We waited out there for a while. There was, like a girl who was like crying….She was just like, ‘my stuff is destroyed. There’s black stuff all over my side, my roommate’s, my roommate’s PS5 is gone.’ She was basically inconsolable with everything that just occurred.”

On Tuesday, Angelina Bresnen recounted her experience from the second floor, as the burst pipe sent water filtering down into her room. 

“So our room didn’t get as affected as the room upstairs did, however the water was coming out of all the light holes and the vents in our room,” she said. “So our walls got pretty damaged, so our walls are getting fixed… and then we lost our rugs, and I lost a Lululemon belt bag due to damage.” 

University officials sent a statement addressing some of the students’ questions. 

“At this time, I can confirm that the University’s insurance carrier will cover up to $2,500 per person for lost personal items. Any losses beyond that amount will need to be submitted through your renter’s or homeowner’s insurance.”

Students are required to submit paperwork, including:

• A list of each damaged item
• A brief description of how the item was damaged
• Photos or videos of the items, if available
• Approximate purchase dates
• Approximate value or receipts (if available)
• Any evidence of ownership (photos, emails confirming purchases, etc.)  

Officials are also encouraging students to  reach out to housing officials if they have any questions. 

Bobby Jones, from the first floor, was among students who needed to be relocated.

“The only impact it had on us was relocating us until further notice due to the room being filled with fans and dehumidifiers,” he said. 

He said the incident began to unfold at about 4:20 p.m. Monday afternoon. He headed outside with two of his roommates when the fire alarm went off, “expecting it to be the usual candle burning or an air fryer setting it off.”

“Little did we know that when we went back into the building, water was going to be pouring down from the light fixture in the shower and from the light in one of the bedrooms in the suite… Luckily, before I could think, my body jumped into action and I started placing trash cans and buckets under all the leaks as well as barricading doorways with towels to stop the water from spreading.”

James emphasized that the issue was not related to the age or condition of the plumbing system. Instead, it was the result of freezing and thawing conditions, which is a problem she said other universities in the region have also experienced.

University housing staff immediately offered relocation options to all affected students, James said.

“The first thing they were told is, ‘we will get you another room, a place to sleep tonight.’ We’ll take care of you,’ James said. “So they were given that option.”

“We do have capacity to move students. There are plenty of empty rooms to do that,”James said. “So immediately, when the incident happened, all 18 were given the option — we will move you to another room. Let us know what you want to do.”

Some students sought their own accommodations including Jones and his suitemates.

It was about  5:30 Monday, when Jones and his suitemates were told they would have to relocate for the night. 

“They did offer to split us up and stick us into any vacancies in rooms on campus, but we politely declined in order to stick together during these troubling times,” Jones said.

“My suite is sticking together and keeping each other updated as far as the other floors above us go,” Jones said. “I know everyone is working together to help those most affected by this unfortunate circumstance. Thankfully, I have not lost any items or material, nor have any of my suitemates to my knowledge.

He said that for his suite, the university is only offering the services to dry the room. 

Hannah Citron, another student affected by the incident, said Jones helped minimize the damage in her dorm. 

“Honestly, it most likely would have been a lot worse if Bobby hadn’t snapped right into damage control mode,” said Citron, who wasn’t at home at the time and was only getting video of it through a group chat. “He put towels and buckets down quick enough that most of the water didn’t spread too far into the dorm. I keep telling people that he saved our stuff because I wasn’t in the dorm when it happened so I couldn’t help right away.”

Despite the frustration, she and her roommates tried to make the best of it.

“We’d play card games at night which definitely have made for great memories. I can’t imagine what everyone else is going through, though. Like I said, we were extremely lucky….We’re just frustrated and exhausted at this point and really hope we can get back in our dorm soon.”

Amanda Crump had hoped to learn more about the state of her room and if she and her roommates could move back into it. 

“Obviously, it’s a difficult situation, but there wasn’t any real information provided that we could really work with. It’s a frustrating situation, which I understand, but it gets even more frustrating with little information.” 

University officials are still working on offering support and resources for those affected.

“We’re very sorry it happened to these students. It’s not good and, and, I mean, I know all the way to the president was involved right away. So we know we put all the resources towards it, because that’s our commitment; it’s to take care of everybody,” James said.