Hilton hotel in Woodcliff Lake evacuated after pipe bursts
WOODCLIFF LAKE, New Jersey (WABC) -- Hundreds of guests had to be removed from a hotel in New Jersey on Christmas Eve after a pipe burst.
All 800 people staying at the Hilton at Woodcliff Lake were forced to leave Saturday night when a pipe burst, likely from the cold weather.
Many of the hotel guests came from across the region for an annual Hanukah celebration.
"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 said.
Fire officials said the water leak came from the fourth floor.
WATCH: The Great Eyewitness News Holiday Cook-Off
"There was a leak on the fourth floor from the ceiling, water from the domestic water line and cascaded all the way down," said John Whelan of the Woodcliff Lake Fire Department.
Authorities said that no one was ever in any danger but the sprinkler system is now broken so the hotel had to be evacuated.
"The fire alarm went off and everyone was evacuated safely, everything was orderly, everyone was calm," partygoer Aaron Weinberger said.
The gathering was supposed to last through Sunday, but the majority of the people just went back to their homes instead.
"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 said.
"Everything was under control, everyone was safe thank god for that and we're all good," Weinberger said.
----------
* Get Eyewitness News Delivered
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
