Rogue Fire Sprinkler Destroys 1,100 Books
in Maryland Library
A fire sprinkler went off unexpectedly in the Towson branch of the Baltimore County Public Library February 8, damaging around 1,100 books. The sprinkler abruptly turned on shortly before the library opened, the Baltimore Sun reported February 9.
Librarian Joe Thompson told the newspaper he was momentarily frozen with disbelief. “It just went off. . . . I just stared for the first couple seconds.” Then he and the rest of the staff sprang into action, pulling books from the threatened shelves as fast as they could while water continued to pour from the ceiling. Firefighters and library maintenance staff shut off the flow after half an hour, by which time a 2-inch-deep pool of standing water had accumulated in the stacks.
Along with the many irreparably damaged books, mostly works of fiction, the accident also wrought havoc on the surrounding floor and shelves, at an estimated replacement cost of thousands of dollars. The library did not open that day, but resumed normal hours of operation the next day.
Posted February 14, 2000.
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