Burst Pipe Greets Students Arriving at High School Tuesday

Classes got a delayed start at Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School on Tuesday morning after a burst pipe flooded the math and science wing of the school.

A cap on a heating pipe burst at about 7 a.m., according to Hamilton Fire Chief Phil Stevens.

Nobody was injured.

About a dozen firefighters worked with school staff using “just about everything” to clean up the water, Stevens said.

The cleanup was complete by about 8:30 a.m. After the cleanup, all of the classrooms were able to be used except the math and science office, which was the only flooded room that had a carpeted floor, he said.

Stevens said it was not immediately clear what caused the pipe cap to burst.

The incident was similar to a situation in October 2011 when a pipe burst and flooded several classrooms.

Since the pipe break occurred before school started, students reported to the auditorium when they arrived to school, according to a tweet from Principal Eric Tracy.

“Thank you to (Miles River Middle School) and (Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School) and town custodial staffs and members of local police and fire for awesome team work,” Tracy tweeted at about 8:45 a.m., after classes had resumed.