Fire department responds to 170 calls for service over 24-hour period

Above: Footage from a call to 2 Wall St. for burst pipes. Video/Jeffrey Hastings

MANCHESTER, NH – As temperatures hovered in the single digits Saturday morning, the persistent cold proved too much for pipes and, within 24 hours, fire crews would respond to more than 170 emergency calls. Of these, 56 were related to broken water pipes and fire sprinkler systems due to the extremely cold weather.

The department expects more of the same Sunday when potentially frozen pipes thaw as the region emerges from the recent deep freeze.

Some of the calls Saturday included high-profile buildings, such as the report of water and smoke coming from 2 Wall St, a large commercial building just off Elm Street.

Responders arrived to find significant water flow coming from the front of the building. Initially, fire crews were hampered from making entry by a frozen device that holds the keys to the building. Firefighters worked to shut off the water to the building once they confirmed there was not an actual fire, but it appears to be steam from a heater.

After about 20 minutes the water was shut off and the building owners were requested to the scene.

The building holds several offices including the office of U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen and the officers of The Mental Health Center Of Greater Manchester.
It is unknown at this time how many office areas were affected by the water flow that appears to have come from a broken pipe. Firefighters from across New England are responding to multiple calls for frozen, burst, and broken pipes due to extreme cold.
A call for assistance at Elliot Hospital midday brought fire and rescue to the emergency room where burst pipes were reported. Initial calls indicated there were 2 to 3 inches of water in the ICU with water coming into the ER.

Solution Health spokesperson Kelly Scargill confirmed that frozen pipes at the Elliot required moving patients, but said that the disruption was temporary and minimal:

“A frozen pipe caused some flooding today in our ICU and Emergency Department areas. The flooding was contained to these areas thanks to the fast response of staff.   The Manchester Fire Department responded within minutes and clean-up efforts began immediately and are fully underway. We expect all cleanup to be done by the end of the day.   All patients who were in affected areas were able to be moved to other rooms and their care was uninterrupted.  We do not expect any major disruption to services and we thank all for their immediate response, especially in these frigid conditions. Their quick work ensured this situation was under control within minutes,” Scargill said.

Sunday morning fire officials urged Manchester residents to use appropriate caution when attempting to thaw frozen pipes. Contacting a licensed professional is encouraged. Using passive techniques to defrost pipes is recommended and methods using blowtorches or open flames are to be avoided.

Jeffrey Hastings contributed to this report.