Broken sprinkler pipe floods historic Troutdale hotel

TROUTDALE, Ore. (AP) — Flooding at the historic McMenamins Edgefield hotel in Troutdale may have been caused by someone hanging from a fire sprinkler pipe.

KOIN reports that Gresham firefighters said a sprinkler pipe burst at the hotel Wednesday evening. Hundreds of gallons of water spilled into the building before crews were able to shut off the flow. Nearly 200 guests had to be evacuated.

McMenamins Director of Marketing Renee Rank Ignacio says a guest or someone at the hotel may have grabbed the pipe and pulled it down or hung from it, according to

Ignacio said the cleanup was progressing quickly. There are no cameras in the hallway where the pipe broke so there’s no video evidence of what happened. But investigators are working to figure out who is responsible for the damage.