NEWBURY, Mass. (Sept. 6, 2025) — A broken sprinkler pipe in a commercial building flooded multiple floors early Sunday after a nail driven into a wall ruptured the line, officials said.

Newbury Fire Rescue Engine 2 was dispatched around 3 a.m. for a fire alarm activation. Dispatchers reported the alarm came from sprinkler water flow.

Firefighters shut down the main sprinkler valve, stopping the flow, but water from the third-floor break had already flooded two floors below.

Crews checked the building and confirmed there were no injuries. Several rooms sustained water damage.

The building manager contacted a cleanup contractor to remove the water and a sprinkler contractor to make repairs.

Officials said the break occurred when a person hammered a nail into a wall, striking the plastic sprinkler pipe and causing it to split.