MONTREAL – A major water tower leak in the city of Sherbrooke Sunday morning led to the partial evacuation of a seniors’ home.
Sherbrooke resident Bernard Niquette, told Global News that water was pouring out of four holes in the back of the tower. A resident of the home, William Matthews, said he awoke to a knock at the door in the morning telling him he needed to move his car.
William Matthews heard a knock on his door at 10:30 am. Then he found out why: His car could flood. @Global_Montreal http://t.co/U46MN7ZxQ9
— Billy Shields (@billyshields) April 12, 2015
That’s because water from the tower was streaming down the inclined parking lot of the home.
According to firefighters, the tower holds 1 million gallons of water.
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Ice from one of the coldest winters in provincial history had formed along the sides of the cylindrical water tower. When it melted, it loosened fixtures inside the tower attached to its walls, creating the four holes. City officials said they had the situation under control by 1:30 p.m.
One employee for the city likened the leaks to a heavy downpour.
The bottom floors of the seniors’ residence, called Pavillon Rock-Forest after the neighbourhood its in, were evacuated as a precautionary measure. About 60 residents of the 150-person home moved to higher ground.
According to city officials the problem has been fixed, but the tower needed to be drained completely for repairs, which should take place this week. Water service in Sherbrooke was not interrupted, a second tower on the premises serves as a backup reservoir, city officials said.
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