Broken Water Pipe Floods Mid-Valley Regional Public Library In North Hills
NORTH HILLS (CBSLA.com) — A broken pipe flooded a public library in the North Hills area of the San Fernando Valley on Monday afternoon.
When firefighters arrived at the Mid-Valley Regional Public Library in the 16200 block of Nordhoff Street, they were confronted with more than 2 ½ feet of water inside.
Authorities say they were alerted to the flooding by a passerby, who noticed water pouring out of the front doors of the library, which was closed for Labor Day.
Firefighters say a broken six-inch pipe left two rooms with 2 ½ feet of water and four inches of water throughout the rest of the facility. They spent four hours sweeping the water out of the library built in 1995 and utilized water vacuums.
"The books are kind of above that point. It doesn't look like too many of the books were damaged but mostly the walls and furniture," Batt. Chief Brian Dameron of the Los Angeles Fire Department said.
There was no word yet on the amount of damage sustained to the library, nor why the pipe burst.
A spokesperson for the Los Angeles City libraries confirms no books were damaged, but carpets may have to be replaced.
The lead librarian says the facility is the busiest public library in the city and its closure for cleanup efforts will impact many.
"It's going to be a very big impact in our day to day life because we read every single day," Rachel Marquez, a mother, said.
It also remains unclear when the library will reopen.