“…it took some time for Boise firefighters to stop the broken line, drain the water and help dry out the lobby of the hotel and 
the parking garage…(hotels must) take some precautionary measures to keep pipes from freezing and especially as they start to thaw (such as) wrapping the pipes with heating tape…”
Saturday night at the Hampton Inn in Boise’s downtown a thawing fire suppression pipe burst and sent water surging. A first person video shows the amount of water that came flowing inside the parking garage, which Captain Ramey said was due to a frozen fire suppression pipe that was expanding and thawing.
It was not the first time the fire crews responded to the report of burst pipes as the temperatures in the Treasure Valley started to warm after our recent cold snap. Last Tuesday, pipes burst at the Tavern at Bown Crossing causing damage inside the building and forcing the restaurant to close for a couple days. Also, United Power workers were out last week helping more than 70 customers thaw their pipes.
General Manager of the Hampton, Erik Hansen, said the pipe burst in the garage area, which is not heated and the water poured below denting one car and covering another with water.
Hansen said they actually had a fire suppression pipe burst during last winter’s cold snap. It was in a completely different area of the building. He says they will now likely be wrapping the pipes with heating tape.
For more:Â http://www.ktvb.com/news/Pipe-bursts-and-surges-through-Bodo-hotel-and-parking-garage-235964821.html
