The state capitol building once survived a fire. Now, it has survived a flood. On Friday night at about eight o’clock, a pipe in the 4th floor attic at the statehouse burst. Fire crews believe it was exposed to the cold and froze. Whatever happened, an alarm connected to the statehouse sprinkler system was activated and fire crews responded. It took them about an hour to shut off the water. About a thousand gallons of water cascaded through the statehouse, seeping through ceilings and running down stairways, and a clean-up crew spent a good part of their holiday weekend mopping up. The irony is the more than 20-year-long statehouse restoration project was nearly complete. Taxpayers will now have to foot the bill for cleaning up the water damage, and fire investigators believe it will cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.
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