UPDATE: Students Return after Penn State Dorm Evacuation

UPDATE @ 4:42 p.m.: The water-pipe break Monday in Hartranft Hall was caused by freezing outdoor temperatures, Penn State reported in an updated news item. A hot-water line in a heating unit burst about 10:45 a.m. and released water and steam, it says.

The incident activated a fire-alarm system in the building. Several first-floor rooms were flooded, the university noted.

After a building evacuation, residents were allowed to return to their rooms at 11:45 a.m., Penn State reported. No students will need to be relocated, though employees are finishing the clean-up of excess water, according to a news release. The Penn State Office of Physical Plant repaired the hot-water line.

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Earlier report, posted @ 11:50 a.m. Monday:

Penn State has evacuated Hartranft Hall, on the University Park campus, due to a broken water pipe, the university announced Monday morning.

Student residents of the dormitory, in the Pollock complex, were asked to move to Pollock Commons for shelter, according to a university statement.

‘A malfunction in a heating unit in the building caused a water pipe to break about 10:45 a.m.,’ it reads. ‘Several rooms have been affected, as well as areas of the basement and the building’s electrical system. The building is closed to residents, but will reopen shortly.’

Mifflin Road has been temporarily closed in the area of the dormitory, according to the university.