Tall & Urban News

The cause of a burst water line which flooded 27 floors of the 35-story Element residential high-rise in Tampa is still unknown four days after the event. The building's 500 residents have also not yet been allowed to reoccupy their homes.

The flood occurred during the early hours of Friday, 16 July, after a municipal water line broke. There were two breaks, one on the 27th floor and one on the 12th floor, and it was two hours before the flow was staunched. A security guard was temporarily trapped in an elevator by flood water.

Residents reported the 395-unit building has a history with water leaks. The building’s owner, Northland Investment Corp., reported there was a pipe burst in the building on 3 January. In December, it was reported the building shut off water to several floors for a week to address a leak.

In addition to flood damage to residences, the water line break damaged the sprinkler and fire alarm systems.

The 140-meter (460-foot) building opened in 2009 and was purchased by Northland in 2017.

For more on this story, go to the Tampa Bay Times and Yahoo News.