Mountain Park School Closed Tuesday Due to Flooding

The Mountain Park School in Berkeley Heights was closed Tuesday after a pipe burst during the overnight hours, flooding the basement with four feet of water.

According to Berkeley Heights fire Captain Jim Hopkins, the fire department was dispatched to the school to help with the situation at around 6:30 a.m. They arrived to find four feet of water in the basement, but at first, could not enter through the garage because of the amount of water present.

Although there are sump pumps in the basement, the volume of water was just too much for the pumps to handle, which eventually led to the electrical panels being partially submerged, making it too dangerous to enter the area.

The DPW brought over pumps to help drain the water into the nearby creeks, while the fire department stood by to make sure there were no issues with the electricity. JCP&L sent a truck with a boom to shut down the electricity from the pole.

"We took some precautions with Hazmat booms while the water was being drained into the creeks to make sure nothing contaminated the water," said Captain Snyder. "It took four to five hours to get the water level down."

All the utilities were shut down including the natural gas, water and electricity, leaving the school without services.

At that point, crews were able to enter the basement and evaluate the damage.   

The electrical inspector was on-hand to assess the damage and make recommendations of what has to be done before the school can be re-opened to students and faculty.