SMYRNA, Ga. — Some Cobb County homeowners are shelling out thousands of dollars in repair fees after the sprinklers in their homes ran for hours after a small fire was put out.
Firefighters were able to quickly put out a small house fire in the Highlands View community in Smyrna, but the sprinkler system never shut off.
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Most properties with a sprinkler system have a turnoff valve to shut the water off. Usually they’re easy to find in front of most businesses or apartment buildings, but residents of this townhome community said dozens of valves are unaccounted for.
Dwaninia Spann said a small fire from her hot water heater on Jan. 7 set the sprinkler system off around 9:30 a.m. The sprinklers ran until 4:30 p.m.
“Next thing you know, we see a gushing of water going under the garage,” she said. “The water from the sprinklers ran and did major damage to the bottom level.”
She said Smyrna firefighters searched for the turnoff valve at her townhome building for hours but were unsuccessful.
Channel 2 investigative reporter Ashli Lincoln learned this isn’t an isolated incident.
“I think the main concern for my neighbors and I, is that over 30% of the home owners out there in that community are unaware of where their fire shut off valves are,” Spann told Lincoln.
In a letter sent to homeowners last year, the Homeowners Association detailed a similar incident where another sprinkler system ran for 12 hours after the fire department couldn’t locate the turnoff valve.
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Lincoln spoke with the HOA over the phone and they told her that this is a problem they have been trying to address for a while.
A 2019 survey of the community found that plumbers could not locate shutoff valves at 42 homes, and more than 90 valves required maintenance.
“A lot of those valves have been buried over the years, in bushes and dirt and straw, and no one could find them,” Spann said. “They’re buried. They’re under the concrete stairs.”
Lincoln reached out to the City of Smyrna to find out who is responsible for locating, maintaining and inspecting the turnoff valves. They say that because the townhomes are private property, it falls on the homeowner to locate and maintain the valve.
City leaders say they only inspect shared lines to apartments and commercial properties.
Plumbers say that if you live in a townhome and have an HOA, it’s best to hire your own plumber to come inspect your property and find your sprinkler system to prevent something like this from ever happening.
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