For the second time this year, a Mississippi State University residence hall’s fire suppression system faltered during a non-emergency situation, producing significant water damage and displacing students within Zacharias Village.
Hurst Hall’s fire system expelled enough water early Wednesday to damage 36 rooms and possibly displace as many as 72 female students, the university reported.
MSU Chief Communications Officer Sid Salter said a recently installed sprinkler head fractured about 5:30 a.m. Wednesday. The university was in the process of upgrading sprinkler heads in the dorm, and the one in question was installed Tuesday.
“The new components to the fire suppression system were being installed as an upgrade to the system,” Salter in a release. “At this time, we are evaluating both the failed component and the installation of the component in trying to determine the cause of this accident and to take immediate steps to correct the problem.
“We’ve got to get to the bottom of it with the installer, supplier and manufacturer,” he added in a phone interview.
Officials will continue to evaluate the implications of the failed component.
MSU President Mark Keenum and MSU Student Affairs officials met with students Wednesday afternoon and briefed them on the situation. The university booked rooms with La Quinta Inn and Suites of Starkville for short- and long-term displacements.
Friday and Saturday night stays at the hotel were unavailable for the students due to bookings associated with this weekend’s home football game against the Vanderbilt.
Students have the option of terminating their on-campus housing contracts early if they choose to relocate to an apartment or sorority house, said Bill Broyles, MSU’s interim vice president for student affairs, in a release.
“We are trying to accommodate these students who are being inconvenienced through no fault of their own, and we have come up with … options that we believe will meet the variety of student needs and preferences,” he said in the release.
Salter said Hurst Hall repairs should be completed by January in time for the start of MSU’s spring semester.
The three-story Hurst Hall was constructed in 2006 and has capacity for 250 students.
MSU has now experienced three separate issues at residence halls this year that temporarily displaced on-campus residents.
During January’s below-freezing cold snap, a pipe within Ruby Hall’s fire suppression system burst, damaging top-floor rooms within a wing of the Zacharias Village residence Hall. Oak and Magnolia halls also reported water damage from pipe failures during that same time.
Salter said recent freezing temperatures did not appear to play a role in Wednesday’s incident.
An Oak Hall fire also temporarily displaced residents in October. A burning candle’s open flame ignited a couch and other dorm furnishings within the building’s third floor.
The dorm’s sprinkler system extinguished the fire but remained active longer than expected, causing water damage.
No injuries were reported from the blaze.
Students affected by the Hurst Hall incident can contact the MSU Department of Housing and Residence Life at (662) 325-3555 or [email protected].
Carl Smith covers Starkville and Oktibbeha County for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter @StarkDispatch
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