Pipe Burst Sends Hundreds Of TPS Employees Home Early

Tulsa Public Schools was forced to evacuate its headquarters Wednesday, sending hundreds of employees home just after lunch.

Alarms went off, but it wasn't because of a fire, it was water. Around 1:00 Wednesday afternoon a sprinkler pipe burst at the TPS Education Service Center.

It was a mess, and the 500 people that work there, like Lucky Lamons, had to find somewhere else to finish their work for the day.

"There was a loud pop and fire alarm sounded," Lamons said.

He works on the sixth floor of the Education Service Center, the area hit hardest by Wednesday's flood.

"The north and south end are heavily damaged. Water went in the elevator shaft and started flooding each of the floors," he said.

Spokesperson, Chris Payne said, "Our foundation office was hit pretty severely today. They have a big clean up job ahead of them. We have had some issues here before, it's not the first time unfortunately."

The water wasn't from an old pipe; the district said it was an accident caused by a construction worker inside the building.

They said he was pulling some wiring while holding onto a sprinkler pipe and that he may have fallen, taking it with him.

Employees immediately went into emergency mode.

"TPS is very good about security and emergency situations, so we activated it. Everyone thought it was a drill and everybody got out,” Lamons said.

That is when the cleanup crews came in and drained water through vacuums and out of windows. It took a lot of work to get the building, especially the elevators, dried out.

For the TPS workers, it was about evacuating and finding where to finish the day.

"If I've got an iPad or wireless available I can go work down the street or at a coffee shop, so that's what “I'm going to go do," Payne said.

Lamons said, "I was going to have a meeting with a board member, so we will meet here in the parking lot or go to IHOP next door, or whatever, but we will get it done."

Employees will be able to return Thursday, but many will have to use the freight elevator.

Some employees on the sixth floor might have to work in different parts of the building, but TPS sent a letter out to everyone explaining the exact protocol.

TPS said they aren't sure, at this point, the extent of the damage, but that they are self-insured.