A tiny leak in the fire suppression system at the Edgewood City Building triggered a cascade of burst pipes on July 14, flooding administrative offices, firefighter living quarters, and areas near the council chambers with roughly two inches of standing water.

Mayor John Link and City Administrator Brian Dehner both expect the damage to easily reach six figures. Official assessments were set to begin the week of July 20.

"It's like a war zone," Mayor Link said in an interview with Link NKY. "It's devastating."

The trouble started around 6 a.m., Dehner said. The building's fire suppression system is normally pressurized with air. A pinhole leak caused the air pressure to drop, and the system interpreted that drop as a fire. It began filling with water. The surge of water pressure then blew out three additional spots in the building's pipes, sending water gushing from the ceiling.

A firefighter who happened to be inside the building at the time witnessed the initial burst. It took staff roughly 30 minutes to locate and shut off the water supply.

By then, ceiling tiles had collapsed, and the flood had knocked out the phone system, the door lock system, and the building's servers. Fiber optic cables were also damaged. Dehner said the server itself is likely too waterlogged to repair, but an automatic backup system that saves data every four hours allowed the city to recover its digital records. Older paper records may have sustained damage; officials said that still needs to be assessed.

Dehner said full repairs will likely take two to three months.

The city carries insurance through the Kentucky League of Cities and is actively submitting claims. Dehner expressed confidence the insurer would cover the damage.

Link said pinhole leaks have occurred in the building's galvanized steel pipes before. At a meeting of the Kenton County Mayors Group on July 19, he urged fellow mayors to consider upgrading to stainless steel pipes to avoid similar failures.

The building has reopened to the public, though staff ask residents for patience as technical systems remain limited. The July 20 City Council meeting was cancelled due to the damage; the next regular meeting is scheduled for August 3 at 6:30 p.m.

Residents can reach the city at (859) 331-5910.