'Millions of dollars of damage'
Water and pieces of ceiling are seen Sunday on the floor of the Post Falls Library. The Post Falls and Athol libraries are closed for water mitigation following weather-related damage. The Athol Library experienced a broken water pipe in an exterior wall. The Post Falls Library experienced catastrophic failure of its fire suppression system.
Photo courtesy of the Community Library Network
Ceiling tiles are scattered on the floor of the staff room at Treaty Rock Elementary School in Post Falls after the fire suppression system broke and caused water damage earlier this week due to severe winter weather.
Water is all over the floor Sunday after the Post Falls Library experienced a catastrophic failure of its fire suppression system due to the winter weather. The damage is widespread and includes computers, equipment, tables, furnishings and books as well as drywall, ceilings, lighting, electrical and flooring. The Post Falls and Athol libraries are closed due to weather damage.
Kootenai County Fire and Rescue crew members work in the entryway of the Post Falls Goodwill as water seeps into the store Saturday, Jan. 13. The store was closed until Wednesday as crews worked to mitigate water damage caused by burst pipes. Repairs will continue into next week.
Locations across Kootenai County and many in Post Falls experienced burst pipes and ruptured fire sprinkler systems brought on by extreme cold.
Kootenai County Fire and Rescue teams were busy responding to 110 weather-related water calls from last Friday until Thursday afternoon, specifically bursting water pipes and fire alarms triggered by the cold, Deputy Chief Pete Holley said Thursday.
He said while some attributed the numerous incidents to new construction and buildings that have not yet experienced this type of cold weather, older buildings are also not impervious to bursting water pipes. This type of damage usually happens during a freeze and thaw period as well, he said, but incidents have kept occurring as temperatures continued to dip.
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