
Patrons and employees were evacuated from the Broward County’s Main Library branch in Fort Lauderdale on Thursday afternoon after a malfunctioning sprinkler system, officials said.
The sprinklers couldn’t be turned off, so water was shut off in the building. Without working bathrooms or drinking water, the building was evacuated of a “couple hundred” people, said Stephen Grubb, spokesman for the Libraries Division.
The sprinkler system problem was confined to the first floor, where there are no library books. “It is a relief,” Grubb said of the books not being soaked.
The library is expected to be dried out and open for business Friday, he said.
The Main Library is closed and will remain closed for today due to a maintenance issue. We apologize for the inconvenience.
— Broward County Library (@BrowardLibrary) July 27, 2023
Lisa J. Huriash can be reached at lhuriash@sunsentinel.com. Follow on Twitter @LisaHuriash