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mcneil_2
Credit: Gregory Boyek

At approximately 12:30pm on Thursday afternoon, a steam line erupted in the McNeil building at 38th and Locust streets.

The broken pipe released steam which set off the sprinkler system in the building and heated up the entire area, according to Steamfitter Supervisor Gene Cella, who was on the scene in the immediate aftermath.

Though the fire department was called, Cella said no injuries were reported. “At this point, there’s damage to some ceiling and floor tiles, but that’s all we can tell so far,” he said.

At the time of publication, the building was still too hot to enter.

Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Specialist Roy Stein, who was also on the scene, said they expected the building to be closed for the rest of Thursday.

“We’re definitely down for the rest of the day — hopefully by tomorrow we will be up and running again. Definitely by Monday,” he said.

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