Tons of water that cascaded into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints from a broken sprinkler system pipe filled the 15,000-square-foot building with up to 4 inches of water and caused more than $10,000 damage Tuesday night.
A 1 1/2 -inch water line above the sanctuary, in the unheated attic, apparently burst and poured water into the large church for about 2 1/2 hours before it was discovered by a neighbor who heard the fire alarm sounding shortly after 5 p.m.
Robert Smith, supervisor of preventive maintenance at the church in the 500 block of Johahn Drive, said two school boys later said they heard the alarm sounding about 3 p.m. but did not report it.
Mr. Smith said water from the broken pipe joint caused ceiling tile and insulation to fall to the floor and expose electric wires. The water saturated the carpet throughout the church building.
Mr. Smith said the heating system would be set at about 72 degrees to help dry the carpet and services would be held Sunday.
Other activities, such as Boy Scout meetings, scheduled before Sunday will be canceled or postponed, he said.
Ron Finkner, a Baltimore County firefighter and the custodian at the church, was called when the broken sprinkler system pipe was discovered and turned off the water supply.
Mr. Smith said many volunteers have stopped at the church or called to offer assistance in cleaning up the building, but a county building inspector has declared the structure unsafe until ceiling tiles can be replaced and the electric wires checked by an electrician. Repairs are expected to be completed soon.
Mr. Smith said about 30 firefighters stayed at the church for more than an hour after the water was turned off to help sweep the thousands of gallons of water out of the building.