Broken pipe caps crazy week at St. Charles courthouse

First a blizzard, then a flood.

It was an eventful week at the Kane County Judicial Center, 37W777 Route 38, St. Charles, as the blizzard closed the courthouse early Tuesday and effectively shuttered it on Wednesday.

Then, on Thursday, a fitting on the third-floor sprinkler system at the Kane County state's attorney's office broke, triggering the fire alarm at 3:58 p.m. and sending water cascading through the office and into the second floor law library.

Halle Cox, the Kane County Law Library director, and her staff had to scramble to put out buckets, trash cans and planted pots as water dripped from the ceiling and turned ceiling tiles into virtual papier-mâché.

“It rained,” said Cox. “We would out some things in a corner thinking they were safe and then the water would come there. We kept springing new leaks.”

Doug Naughton, the court administrator, said no cases were delayed because of the broken pipe and cleaning crews were tackling the cleanup on Friday.

“There was an inch and a half of water in that (third floor) corner office,” he said.

A damage estimate was not immediately available, but computers and case files got wet.

No injuries occurred in the flood.