Broken pipe floods several Cape Coral apartments
Firefighters spent more than two hours working to help salvage personal property and clean-up after a broken water pipe flooded several apartments Sunday afternoon.
A fire alarm was received by the Cape Coral 911 Communications Center shortly before 12:30 p.m. A first alarm assignment of Engine1, Engine 3 and Ladder 6 responded to the condominiums at 4235 S.E. 20th Place. Upon investigation, Lt. Greg LaCoste and his crew from Engine 1 discovered a significant water leak coming from the ceiling of a fourth floor apartment. Firefighters spent the next two hours using salvage covers, squeegees and tools to help remove the water from the fourth floor.
Unfortunately, the water flow could not be stopped before the water began leaking down through the third and second floors. A number of apartments were damaged by the water leak but much of the personal belongings were saved by firefighters who moved furniture out of the wet areas and worked to remove the water from inside the building.
No damage estimate was immediately available but at least three apartments received damage. Additional apartments were also affected due to having to shut off the electricity to the area. A damage restoration company arrived around 2:30 p.m. to take over the efforts of the firefighters. The Red Cross was called but not needed as residents directly impacted by the water damage had other locations to go and stay.
Firefighters perform salvage work at virtually every fire or service call. Whether it is removing smoke from a home due to burnt food, helping clean up from a water leak, or even helping a resident secure the home after a storm, Cape Coral firefighters take the effort to serve very seriously, officials said.
“Our firefighters, like any other firefighter anywhere, protect life and property,” said Michael Heeder of the Cape Coral Fire Department. “Whether it is from fire or water, once we know there is no life safety concerns, we turn our attention to saving the structure and its contents.”
Salvage is one of many topics that firefighters train on during the days in the Fire Academy for new recruits, but it is something that our personnel take to heart.
“Customer service is our priority,” said Heeder. “When we promote our department by saying ‘We Do It All’, we mean it. We know that major damage to someone’s home is their own personal disaster, and we will do what we can to help during their time of crisis, whether it is a fire or not.”
Source: Cape Coral Fire Department