Hundreds of students ordered to vacate UMass Boston dormitory after pipe burst

BOSTON — Hundreds of students were forced out of their dormitory at UMass Boston after a pipe burst.

The sprinkler pipe ruptured on the 10^th floor of Motley East Residence Hall Monday afternoon.

Dozens of dorm rooms were left saturated in water.

The entire building was ordered to vacate until further notice because of an issue with the fire suppression system.

A university spokesperson said a functioning fire suppression system is required for occupancy.

“It was really annoying to walk in to such an inconvenience. I don’t know what I’m going to do,” said Charlotte Milliard.

Students told Boston 25 News they had a brief window of time to grab their belongings.

“My stuff’s trapped in there. I only got a couple of clothes I was able to get out, and they stopped letting people grab stuff,” said Matthew Lauro.

The school is offering temporary housing to some students at the campus formerly known as Mount Ida in Newton.

Student said there is only a limited amount of space there, and many had to make arrangements themselves.

Some returned home with families while others crashed in another residence hall or with friends at other universities.

“‘I’m an out of state student. I live almost four hours away. I can’t go home,” said Jack Daley.

“There are multiple people I know who are stuck with no clothes, no toiletries or anything.”

University officials said the school is working with the Boston Fire Department and Boston Inspectional Services Department to assess the extent of the impact and steps needed to restore fire suppression services.

Students are encouraged to visit the Clark building where staff members are available to provide support.

“We recognize that this disruption may be stressful, and we appreciate students’ patience and flexibility as we work through the situation. Our priority remains the safety, well-being, and support of our students, and we will continue to keep the campus community updated as this situation develops,” said a campus alert.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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