Massive flooding in Penn Bookstore leads to temporary closure Saturday

Massive amounts of flooding inside the Penn Bookstore caused the store to close on Saturday afternoon.

Water also started to pour down outside of the building, which is located at 3601 Walnut St. At approximately 3:05 p.m., all customers were asked to evacuate the building. The cause of the flood is unknown.

"I don’t know if it was a pipe or the sprinkling system or over-leakage of the water system, but it’s now leaked over into the bookstore," Robert Smith, a Penn Bookstore manager, said. He added that the bookstore will likely reopen tomorrow.

When a bookstore staff member attempted to examine a ceiling tile inside the store's Starbucks, a rush of water burst through the tile and caused it to collapse on the employee. Starbucks employees were mopping the floor to clean up the remnants of the tile and the excess water.

“I was sitting in the study room doing some homework and I looked over and there was water coming down from the roof," College junior Skylar Deutsch said. "They're closing the cafe." 

Smith added that the Inn at Penn, which is located on top of the bookstore, may have also flooded and caused the water to leak through the bookstore's ceiling.

The majority of the flooding affected the Starbucks cafe located upstairs, the atrium inside the bookstore's main entrance, and the building's exterior. The area in front of the bookstore's main entrance has been sealed off.

The Penn Bookstore ceiling water damage comes days after two maintenance issues occurred on campus. A pipe burst in Harrison College House on Jan. 21 in response to cold weather, causing a sprinkler to go off in the lobby. The next day, the hot water in Harnwell College House was not working, in a non-weather related incident.

This is a developing story that was last updated at 3:38 p.m. Please check back here for updates.