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Burst pipes cause big problems for Racine homeowner

Posted at 10:18 PM, Feb 01, 2019
and last updated 2019-02-01 23:18:49-05

RACINE, Wis. — A Racine family came home to a waterfall coming out of their ceiling and the drywall on the living room floor after a frozen pipe burst in their upstairs neighbor's home.

"It was a disaster, it really was," said Anna Curry, 17.

The teenager wasn't sure what to do when she came home from school and the mess. Her whole first floor of their duplex covered in water to her ankles.

She called her mom, Charoletta Curry, who raced home from work to find the ceiling fell into the living room and the fire department shutting off her water. They told her it was all from her upstairs neighbor.

"It was coming from the neighbor's bathroom plumbing," said Charoletta Curry.

Charoletta Curry is just one of dozens of calls plumbing companies are getting. Plus, fire departments, including Greenfield, said they have been responding to calls all day.

"With the temperatures rising a little bit the frozen pipes are thawing just enough to leak where they burst the pipes. So as the temperatures get warmer we expect more of these calls," said Lt. David Stabbe of the Greenfield Fire Department.

Stabbe said homeowners can help by knowing how to shut off the water. But as for clean up, renters like Charoletta Curry are left depending on her landlord. She gathered some belongings that are not soaked for her kids and had to leave.

"This is what I have boiled down to. One box and my medication," said Charoletta Curry.

Fortunately, her landlord is putting her up in a hotel until repairs are done.