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Water Main Break Causes Flooding, Prompts Evacuations At Cathedral Of Learning

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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- The University of Pittsburgh closed down the Cathedral of Learning after a water main burst Monday morning, flooding parts of the building and prompting evacuations.

The first reports of the water main break started coming in around 10 a.m.

According to the university's emergency website, a fire suppression line broke on the third floor, causing flooding and water damage to the first three floors and lower levels of the building. The water source was shut off and the entire building was closed and safely evacuated.

cathedral-of-learning-closed
(Photo Credit: KDKA)

"I woke up this morning and I got this alert on my phone telling me that all classes will be postponed until noon, and then during my 11 o'clock class, I received another notification saying that all classes will be cancelled all day," a Pitt sophomore said. "I actually had a test today and it got postponed until Wednesday, which is, I guess, kind of cool. One of my friends has a friend that's stuck on the 13th floor, but it's all pretty crazy."

Initially, the university postponed all classes in the building until noon. They later canceled all classes scheduled to start before 6 p.m. and relocated some evening classes.

The Cathedral will reopen at 6 a.m. Tuesday and return to normal operations.

The university confirmed that the Nationality Rooms have not been damaged.

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