WOODCLIFF LAKE, N.J. (1010 WINS) — Hundreds of guests were forced to flee a hotel in New Jersey on Christmas Eve after a pipe burst.
WABC7 reported that the rupture that forced all 800 people staying at the Hilton at Woodcliff Lake to leave likely stemmed from the cold weather.
"There was a leak on the fourth floor from the ceiling, water from the domestic water line and cascaded all the way down," John Whelan of the Woodcliff Lake Fire Department told the outlet.
Many of the visitors were staying at the hotel for the annual Hanukkah gathering.
"We were planning on having a fun night tonight and then right towards the end of Shabbos we heard the sirens go off," partygoer Shlomo Garfinkle told the news station.
Authorities said there were no signs of danger, but guests had to evacuate because the sprinkler system was broken.
"The fire alarm went off and everyone was evacuated safely, everything was orderly, everyone was calm," another partygoer, Aaron Weinberger, said.
The gathering was scheduled to continue until Sunday, but most attendees just returned to their homes.
"It happened at, not a terrible time, because at least we were able to finish Shabbos, it happened towards the end of the Shabbos, so we lost out the concert tonight, but we still got the Shabbos in," Garfinkle added.
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