Sprinkler system floods Meeteetse library

More than 4,400 books were ruined and a school day canceled after a sprinkler system erroneously flooded a portion of the Meeteetse library on Sunday afternoon.

The damage at the Park County-run library located inside the Meeteetse school was generally limited to a section containing Western novels and non-fiction books, along with a nearby school classroom (see photos at the bottom of this article).

Meeteetse Assistant Principal Cory Dziowgo said the fire suppression system worked like its supposed to. Unfortunately, the system had been activated in error by a malfunctioning heating unit.

There wasnt an actual fire, it just overheated, Dziowgo said.

Park County Library Director Frances Clymer said the roof-mounted unit began pouring hot air into the library and the sprinkler valve closest to the air vent broke open.

Then it spewed, I believe, over 1,000 gallons of water into the building, Clymer said.

That wasnt because of a slow response time.

Dziowgo who also is a member of the Meeteetse Volunteer Fire Department said the firemen had the sprinklers shut off within five to 10 minutes of the system tripping.

Clymer praised Park County Buildings and Grounds, the Meeteetse school district facilities crew and Varney Clean Care for their prompt response after the flooding.

They really got a handle on it very quickly, Clymer said. I was real impressed with their responsiveness.

Read this article:
Sprinkler system floods Meeteetse library