Burst Pipe in Hampden Floods Rooms

UPDATED: February 15, 2015, at 1:03 p.m.

A burst pipe in a room on the top of floor of Hampden Hall—Dunster House swing housing in Harvard Square—caused flooding in rooms below it on Saturday night, according to Anthony Pacillo, associate director of residential facilities.

A bathroom window that was left open caused the pipe to burst, according to Pacillo.

The incident prompted staff to shut off water in the building. According to an email sent to students from Dunster House tutor Anna Marie Wagner '11, most students could return to their rooms by about 8 p.m. Saturday. At the time of her 8 p.m. email, Wagner wrote that the room and the four directly below it remained closed.

At about 11:30 p.m., Christina Vourakis ’16, a resident of Hampden’s fifth floor whose room flooded, said plumbing was on again in her room and that she was able to return for the night. Her room was most affected by the flooding, she said, and repairs to her bathroom ceiling would go on throughout the week.

Branden K. Clemens ’16 and Alister D. Bent ’16, residents of the top floor room and members of the volleyball team, said they had been traveling since Thursday and apologized for leaving the window open.

“[My roommate] and I are both really sorry to all the people who are affected by this, and especially to all the people in Hampden,” Clemens said.

—Staff writer Samuel E. Liu can be reached at samuel.liu@thecrimson.com. Follow him on Twitter @samuelliu96.