FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - Several residents living in a Fort Lauderdale apartment building were impacted when a sprinkler pipe burst over the weekend, sending water down several floors.
Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue responded to reports of a burst pipe at the Camden Las Olas Apartments at 501 Southeast Second Street, Sunday.
Officials said the pipe burst on the 15th floor around noon and crews arrived within 30 minutes to quickly begin the mitigation process.
“Restoration contractors began the dry-out and restoration process shortly after Camden teams arrived,” said Camden Vice President of Marketing Julie Keel.
Videos, posted to social media by residents, shows water pouring down from the ceiling, creating puddles on the floors.
“We got home and the elevator wasn’t working. We tried the other elevators, those weren’t working, so we tried to find the stairs which was impossible,” said said Karlee Wiley, a resident.
The water damaged several units and nearby equipment in the building.
“It was pretty much a waterfall. It was flooded,” said resident Dave Brown. “The whole section of the ceilings are gone and the baseboards are gone and all the rugs are wet. It stinks. It’s hot as you know what.”
A resident shared video with 7News showing his apartment full of buckets and soaked blankets. He said he had to push his furniture out of the way of the leaks.
Another resident, Daniela Tolentino, said she lives with her newborn and the pipe burst has made it difficult to navigate the building.
“The carpet is completely soaked and there’s a lot of machines to dry it, so I guess that’s what they are doing so far, drying the carpet,” she said.
Others say even a few days after the pipe burst, it’s still a challenge.
Nandi Alphonse said she was spared the worst of the flooding, but is still worried about water intrusion coming from the A/C vents.
“That’s why I want to leave. I’m really scared cause I have two kids,” she said.
Another resident, who did not want to be identified, said this pipe burst could’ve happened in his unit when he wouldn’t be home.
“The dogs could be stuck there, something could fall on them. It’s concerning,” he said.
The building’s management said they are working hard to fix the issue.
“While we hate that this incident occurred, we will work with impacted residents to assess the damage and hope to minimize the disruption,” said Keel.
Copyright 2025 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.