The Pickle Barrel sprinkler system thawed out and a pipe broke, causing water to build up and rain down in the downtown Chattanooga restaurant.The Chattanooga Fire Department has responded to numerous calls over the last few days for frozen pipes thawing and bursting as temperatures begin to climb.
At the Pickle Barrel, 1012 Market St., an estimated couple of thousand gallons of water poured from the sprinkler system, damaging the ceiling and much of the restaurant Wednesday afternoon. The business is expected to be closed for a few days as repairs are made.
Bruce Garner, public information officer for the fire department, said firefighters responded by inserting wooden wedges into the sprinkler head to stop the water.
"They're doing that kind of thing all over town," he said.
In one case, a fire started after a resident tried to thaw out a frozen pipe using a blow torch.