Primghar, Iowa — There was no fire, but there was a big mess. That’s how Primghar Fire Chief Gary Lansink describes a fire call on Tuesday evening, January 2nd, 2018.
Primghar firefighters were called to Baum Harmon Mercy Hospital in Primghar about 9:35 p.m. on Tuesday for a fire alarm. Lansink says when they arrived they discovered that a sprinkler system pipe had burst in the attic area. He says they believe the cold temperatures may have frozen the water in the pipe and caused it to burst. He says since it was part of the fire-suppression system, it triggered the alarm, just like a broken sprinkler head would.
Lansink says he’s not sure how much damage was caused, but he says the water leaked into a stairwell area and a locker room.
Orange City Fire Chief Denny VanderWel says the Orange City Fire Department responded to similar calls at Premium Pet Health on New Year’s Day and at the Orange City Area Health System on Tuesday, January 2nd. Both of those calls involved broken sprinkler heads.
