Corey WackelNews Editor

University Bookstore employees were busy the morning of Jan. 24 after a sprinkler malfunction on the main floor of the bookstore caused extensive water damage.

Around 7:45 a.m., a main floor sprinkler was set off, damaging much of the merchandise in the bookstore. The water was shut down around 8:20 a.m. and cleanup was completed by 10:30 a.m.

“We had a lot of people helping during cleanup,” Derek Peterson, the director of the bookstore said. “We had a number of the people from the Union, Residential Life, and facilities services who really need to be thanked.”

The reason as to why the sprinkler malfunctioned has not yet been discovered.

After the water was shut off, main floor clothing had to be taken down and moved in order to clean up all the water.

“We’re not sure what we are going to do with the merchandise,” Peterson said. “We have an adjuster coming in and we’ll look at the options we have.”

While most of the damage was contained to the first floor, some of the textbooks in the lower level were damaged as well. Still, the bookstore remained open while cleanup duties were performed.

Students were allowed to use the south entrance of the bookstore in order to find the books they may have needed for classes.

“The bookstore was still able to meet the needs of students without any interruption,” Peterson said.

The main entrance of the bookstore was reopened on Monday and an e-mail was sent out to all SDSU staff and students to inform them that the bookstore was open for business on all sales.

The university has yet to assess the extent of damage, and repair costs are not yet known.

#1.1918787:1335322393.png:Bookstore_FloodTONY.png:Jillian Carstensen and Ed Bain empty a water-filled shop vac after a sprinkler malfunction caused water damage in the bookstore.:Collegian Photo by Tony Gorder