Franz Hall flooded by first-floor toilet
Maria De Anda, a UCLA Facilities Management employee, swept water from the floor of Franz Hall Thursday. (Heidy Cadena/Daily Bruin)
By Jasmine Aquino
Jan. 22, 2015 3:28 p.m.
A toilet in the women’s first-floor restroom in Franz Hall flooded the building’s main hallway, offices and classrooms.
The toilet started leaking at about 12:30 p.m., and water poured into the hallway for an hour before facilities management was able to stop and repair the damage.
“Someone (may have) kicked the flush handle, causing it to break and continuously leak water,” said Brandon Woolen, custodian supervisor for UCLA’s Facilities Management.
The toilet spilled at least 300 gallons of water, said Bert Hornback, a senior custodian. Hornback, along with six other facilities personnel, spent about an hour sweeping the water out through the doorways at both ends of the hall.
Several professors whose offices were near the bathroom helped sweep the water out of their workspace.
“At least it wasn’t sewage water,” Hornback said as he maneuvered a water extractor through the narrow hallway. “It’s clean water.”
A psychology class was in session in Franz 1178, a 293-seat lecture hall, when the flood started.
“We were in the middle of meditating when we heard vacuums and people shouting,” said Nikki Mai, a fourth-year psychobiology student.
Eric Kang, a fourth-year psychobiology student who was also in the class, said the damage was only noticeable near the back door of the lecture hall.
“One of the TAs told us what happened and told us to use the front exit that leads right outside the building (to avoid the flooded hall),” Kang said.
Maintenance staff will visit Franz Hall today to assess possible damages, including moisture damage on the doors and walls of the hallway.
