De Neve Holly flooded Saturday morning because a sprinkler on the ninth floor activated.
Students evacuated the building at about 9:50 a.m. after the ninth floor started flooding. Residents were not able to return to their rooms until about 12:30 p.m. because water was trickling down to lower floors, said Los Angeles Fire Department Captain David Rogers.
Rogers said a sprinkler activated in room 943, flooding the ninth and eighth floors and spreading water to the seventh, third and second floors. LAFD is still investigating why the sprinkler activated.
The water began leaking outside the room, which is on the east wing of Holly, down the adjacent hallway and started leaking to other floors through the ceilings and floors, Rogers said. He estimated about nine or 10 student rooms on both the ninth and eighth floors have water damage.
Joshua O’Connor, assistant director of Residential Life, said his faculty room is the only room on the first floor that flooded.
“There’s water on every floor down to the first floor,” Rogers said. “The ninth and the eighth got the most water.”
The fire department has vacuumed the water and turned off the water flow for the building, Rogers added.
LAFD spokesperson Margaret Stewart said she does not yet know the extent of the water damage.
This is the second time a building on the Hill has flooded spring quarter. De Neve Commons Residential Restaurant flooded April 13 after a sprinkler activated inside the building.