MIAMI (WSVN) - A pipe failure at a downtown Miami hotel caused water to cascade down from several floors onto the street below.
7Skyforce captured water flowing out of the side of the JW Marriott Marquis Miami, located at 255 Biscayne Boulevard Way, at around 5:40 p.m. on Friday.
The water was spotted on the lower floors of the hotel.
Cellphone video sent in by a 7News viewer in a nearby building captured the flooding from across the street.
A 7News crew later spotted someone sweeping water off the hotel’s pool balcony.
The gushing water surprised guests and people walking downtown.
“We came out, and there was a big waterfall over there, and then it just exploded,” said Paul, a hotel guest.
“We all grabbed our stuff and just ran away as fast as possible,” said J.J. McGovern.
McGovern and his family said they had just checked into the hotel.
“I have absolutely no idea what actually happened, but we were walking out to get dinner and it kind of got a little sprinkle on us,” said McGovern, “and we looked up, and as you can see, water started gushing out.”
Cellphone video shared by McGovern made the side of the hotel resemble a fountain.
“That is crazy. Something flooded,” McGovern is heard saying in the video.
“Yeah, it was like a waterfall. I remember one guy passing by and going like, ‘Is there a waterfall?’ And I was like, ‘Oh, yeah, I think so,” said Caroline, a hotel guest.
City of Miami Fire Rescue crews responded to the hotel after a water flow alarm went off, at around 4:40 p.m.
Investigators said one of the pipe connections that attaches to the building’s sprinkler system failed, and that caused water to spill out the side of the building.
Crews were able to find the stem pipes from where the water was coming and shut most of them off.
7News has learned the issue has since been fixed. Fire personnel, as well as the fire marshal, worked into the night, as they tested the sprinkler system to make sure everything is working properly.
“It is what it is. It’s no big deal. I don’t think so,” said an onlooker.
No injuries were reported.
Miami Fire Rescue said that because this happened close to the edge of the building, none of the rooms were damaged, and no one had to be relocated.
“We’re expecting a nice spring break. We just got to Miami from Virginia, and what beautiful weather, and we’re happy to be here otherwise,” said McGovern.
For the McGoverns, the incident is a story they plan to share back home.
“I’m glad this happened. We needed some spice on our family vacation,” said Caroline.
It is unclear how long fire investigators will remain at the hotel testing the system.
7News reached out to the JW Marriott Marquis Miami, but they did not want to comment about the incident.
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.