Burst Pipes Damage Businesses, Flood Streets Across Chicago
CHICAGO (STMW) -- Icy weather conditions and frozen pipes likely caused sprinkler systems to burst overnight, damaging businesses and making for slippery streets and sidewalks across Chicago.
A leak in a company's fire system flooded the business and Pulaski Road Tuesday night, forcing firefighters to wade through knee-deep icy water in the Albany Park neighborhood on the Northwest Side.
The commercial building's sprinkler system burst about 10:40 p.m. and sent water pouring into the street in the 4900 block of North Pulaski Road, authorities said.
Firefighters, who at the scene could be seen wading through the knee-deep icy water, were able to gain access to the building and stop the leak, said Bill Bresnahan, managing deputy commissioner of the city's Department of Water Management.
As of 4 a.m., at least one lane of Pulaski remained closed to traffic between Argyle and Ainslie streets as Department of Streets and Sanitation salt-spreaders treated the ice that had formed, police said.
The sprinkler system also burst and caused flooding at the Columbia Sportswear store, at 830 N. Michigan Ave., on the Magnificent Mile early Wednesday, Bresnahan said.
Salt-spreaders were at the scene, but it was not immediately known whether that incident resulted in any road or sidewalk closures.
Both leaks were likely caused by icy weather conditions and frozen pipes, Bresnahan said. The National Weather Service reported temperatures hit 6 degrees below zero in the Chicago area overnight.
It was not immediately known how much damage either business sustained during the incidents.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2014. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)