Student rips pipe; water streams through Sequim High School auditorium area

Published 12:01 am Sunday, March 20, 2005

SEQUIM — A rambunctious student broke a sprinkler system pipe at Sequim High School on Friday morning, sending a cascade of water through part of the old high school building.

The pipe was above a staircase. Around 8 a.m., a student jumped up to grab it — for reasons only a teenager would understand — and the pipe broke.

Water surged down the stairwell, flooding a hallway, the Sequim School District board room, the auditorium entrance and the rear of the auditorium.

“Of course, it was water that’s been in there for a while, so it was stinky,” said Loanna Torey, assistant to the superintendent.

Clallam County Fire District No. 3 personnel were called in to help clear the water. Workers were still trying to clean up the mess late Friday afternoon.