Two Birch Plaza apartments flood during Christmas break

The kitchen ceiling of Birch Plaza 113 was damaged by a faulty valve on a water pipe. The humidity from the hot water caused Sheetrock, doors, wood molding and floors to mold and warp. Tenants will be displaced until reconstruction. Emily Warr / Scroll

Birch Plaza apartment numbers 113 and 213 were damaged after a valve on a water pipe broke Thursday. Eleven tenants moved their personal belongings to new apartments until remodeling is completed.

The damages could cost the complex thousands of dollars, Van Elg, regional manager for Rexburg housing, said. Sheetrock, ceilings, electrical wiring, furniture and carpet will all have to be replaced, Elg said.

The pipe ruptured in Room 213 and accumulating water destroyed the floor. Room 113 was damaged after water from the apartment above leaked through and destroyed the ceilings.

Managers discovered the broken pipe Friday after a routine security check on the apartments. The pipe did not freeze, and Elg said managers are still trying to discover the reason it broke.

Because the pipe carried hot water, steam increased damages and caused more warping than cold water would have, Elg said. Managers called the tenants immediately after assessing damages.

“When the managers called, they told us they had some unfortunate news,” Becky Allen, a freshman from West Jordan, Utah, said.

Allen and her roommate Allison Ward, also a freshman from West Jordan, Utah, arrived in Rexburg Saturday to take care of their personal belongings.

“It’s just an inconvenience,” Allen said. “We expected to come back and be established. Instead, we had to come back, pack up and move.”

A few of the girls’ books and photos were warped and Allen said her alarm clock and personal computer were both damaged. However, the computer should be able to be repaired, Allen said.

For the most part, the girls say they think most of their personal belongings are still in good condition.

All 11 tenants were given six free meals at the Galley and a roll of quarters to launder clothing. Allen and Ward both said they feel the managers are doing their best to try and compensate for inconvenience.

It should take about one month to complete repairs and finish the apartments so the girls can move back in, Elg said.

Seven of the tenants from the two damaged apartments moved into vacant Birch Plaza units. Four others were moved into one vacant apartment at Arbor Cove.