A technical glitch threatened to damage the stage in Ferguson Hall at Tampa's Straz Center Wednesday.
- Routine test of sprinkler system led to computer glitch
- Glitch caused portion of sprinkler system to activate
- Sprinklers poured on stage for approximately 5 minutes
Ferguson Hall was covered in water Wednesday morning due to the computer glitch, according to Straz COO Lorrin Shepard.
"We were undergoing a routine test of our fire alarm system, which is required, and there was a computer glitch that actually caused a portion -- fortunately not the entire sprinkler system, but a portion -- of the sprinkler system to activate,” Shepard said.
The sprinklers poured water onto the stage for about five minutes before crews could mop up the wet mess. Shepard told us the sprinklers were stopped and the clean-up was performed quickly enough to prevent extensive damage.
“The stage can become warped when water gets involved," Shepard said. "And I think fortunately because of the duration of time, we'll have very little restoration that we'll need to do.”
All performances slated for Ferguson Hall remain on schedule. However, the Florida Orchestra’s rehearsals Thursday and Friday are being moved to the Mahaffey in St. Petersburg.