NMSU Computer Center reopens after sprinkler malfunction

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LAS CRUCES New Mexico State University says a fire suppression system unexpectedly activated at 8 a.m. Tuesday morning at the main campus Computer Center, sparking a hazmat response.

The system was triggered during a scheduled maintenance test, according to Justin Bannister, a university spokesman. During the test, artificial smoke set off the sprinkler system, which is charged with a fire retardant chemical.

Five people who were in the Computer Center during the incident were treated on site for fume inhalation; a sixth was transported to Memorial Medical Center for further treatment, Bannister said.

When triggered, the fire suppression system shuts down the building electrical system, which caused networking and phone services to shut down across part of the campus. It also affected student services, including the online portal Banner.

The services were restored by Tuesday afternoon, with the exception of a few hundred staff e-mail accounts and a handful of departmental web pages on the universitys servers.

Damage to the Computer Center was limited to a few ceiling tiles. The building was reopened to students Tuesday afternoon.

According to Bannister, investigators from the company that manufactures and maintains the fire suppression system were expected to investigate the incident on Tuesday afternoon to figure out why the system malfunctioned and to recharge it with the chemical retardant.

This story updates previous reporting.

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NMSU Computer Center reopens after sprinkler malfunction