Sprinkler malfunction brings fire truck to Atrium

A sprinkler malfunction brought the Havre Fire Department to the Atrium Mall this morning, but the Havre fire chief reports no flames or heat were involved.

Chief Dave Sheppard said a faulty head on the sprinkler system gave out and started discharging water. The fire department was notified at 7:36 a. m. and helped turn off the sprinkler, in a storage or maintenance area in the basement of the shopping center, and the firefighters were back in service by 8:11 a. m.

No businesses operating in the mall had apparent damage. Sheppard said he had no estimate on the damage to the basement area that flooded, although a significant amount of water discharged before it was shut off.