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Major Flooding At Chelsea Apartment Building Likely Intentional

CHELSEA (CBS) – Residents in a Chelsea apartment building on Broadway say it was about 3 a.m. on Saturday when all of a sudden they heard the sound of rushing water coming into their homes.

"The water was flowing from the top all the way down to bottom," resident Robyn Yianacopolus said.

When fire fighters first arrived, they thought there was a fire on the sixth floor, but they soon realized someone released the valve on a standpipe and water came gushing out for about 10 minutes.

"When we arrived, we had water pouring through both elevator shafts into the lobby. It was a lot of water," Deputy Fire Chief John Quatieri said.

Investigators believe someone intentionally turned the water on in the building.

"It was definitely done maliciously. Someone opened it up," the deputy chief said.

The building has surveillance cameras, and investigators believe they may have captured images of those involved.

A total of six floors were damaged by the water, and more than 150 residents had to evacuate in the middle of the night. Two people were taken to hospital.

Work crews were busy cleaning up the mess, and residents were allowed back into the building.

Fire investigators say they plan to take look at that surveillance video to see who is responsible for releasing all that water and ultimately causing $400,000 worth of damage.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Kim Tunnicliffe reports

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