Water Pipe Break Creates Minor Injuries and Short Evacuation at Heritage Middle School

A construction worker and teacher were treated for minor injuries this morning at Heritage Middle School when a hot water pipe burst in the old wing, which was undergoing renovations, according to Livingston fire and school officials.

The central hot water pipe broke at about 11:15 a.m. and the steam activated the school’s fire alarm, Fire Chief Christopher Mullin said. The school was briefly evacuated  and no students were hurt. 

The construction worker had minor burns to the head, neck and back and the teacher had a minor injury to the chest area, Mullin said. Both received treatment at the scene from the Livingston  First Aid Squad and they returned to work. 

The hot water was turned off and school and construction workers cleaned up the scene, Mullin said. 

The old wing was being renovated by Tormee Construction and most of the classrooms were empty, said Jess Ganz Lipper, the Livingston school district communications specialist. 

Three classrooms in the old wing were occupied at the time, but the students in those classes were moved to other rooms in the middle school for the rest of the day, Ganz Lipper said.