As the weather warmed up Wednesday, local firefighters were deluged with calls about burst pipes in buildings’ sprinkler systems.
Wednesday's photos of icy formations. >>
Tuesday's photos of icy formations. >>
Destin firefighters responded to some 20 calls from condominiums starting about 10 a.m.
Temperatures froze water in the pipes, which caused some of them to expand and break.
As temperatures crept into the 40s, the ice melted and flooded the pipes, Destin Fire Battalion Chief Bronson Coleman said. Water flow sensors in the sprinkler systems then set off alarms.
Most of the calls were to structures vulnerable to the cold, such as parking garages. However, some of the broken pipes were in condo units, which caused damage to almost every floor below them.
By about 1:30 p.m., Okaloosa Island firefighters had responded to about 13broken pipe calls.
“We were getting buried in them,” Capt. John Brinkerhoff said.
In one instance, pipes held together by a coupling popped apart from the amount of water flowing through them.
Firefighters try to cut off water to the problem area so the rest of the building has fire protection. They silence the alarms and leave it to sprinkler companies to reset it once they complete repairs, Brinkerhoff said.
Fort Walton Beach firefighters responded to almost a dozen calls for mostly residential sprinkler systems, Battalion Chief Gene Large said.
To prevent breaks, pipes can be insulated or alternative systems can be found, Large said. But the time and expense to protect the pipes from such a rare temperature drop may be too much for many businesses or residents to take on.
Contact Daily News Staff Writer Lauren Delgado at 850-315-4445 or ldelgado@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @LaurenDnwfdn.