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The Winnipeg police headquarters building suffered from flooding on Saturday evening as water drenched the tower portion of the downtown office complex.
Water was dripping into the Graham Avenue entrance of the headquarters complex and pouring from the ceiling of the main foyer at 8:30 p.m.
The water pooled around shards of broken light fixtures and dislodged ceiling panels on the foyer floor near the elevators.
Workers at the building said water valves had opened on the sixth floor of the office tower.
Much of the office tower, acquired by the city in 2009, is vacant.
WATCH | Winnipeg police headquarters floods Saturday night :
Winnipeg police headquarters floods Saturday night
The downtown police complex closed to the public Saturday as water poured down from overhead pipes. The cause of the flood is under investigation, police say.
The Winnipeg Police Service said in an initial news release the flooding was caused by a “watermain break” that has since been contained.
“Public access is temporarily restricted until further assessment takes place,” the police service said in the release.
The police said in a follow-up release the flooding was “due to overhead pipes and the cause is still to be determined. “
City of Winnipeg watermains are located below ground. They are connected to properties via service lines.
Water pooled around shards of broken light fixtures and dislodged ceiling panels on the foyer floor near the elevators in the Winnipeg Police Service Headquarters. (Bartley Kives/ CBC)
CBC News first received word of flooding at the police headquarters at 7:30 p.m.
A Winnipeg water and waste vehicle was parked in front of the police headquaters entrance until shortly after 8:30 p.m. A police forensics van entered the complex via the underground garage shortly before 9 p.m.
This is the second time flooding has damaged Winnipeg’s police headquarters. A rainstorm in 2014 flooded the basement and caused $4.1 million in damage to the complex when it was still under construction.
A Winnipeg water and waste vehicle was seen parked in front of the Winnipeg Police Service Headquarters entrance until shortly after 8:30 p.m. (Bartley Kives/ CBC)
That damage delayed the opening of the headquarters until 2016.
The police headquarters project has also been subject to $79 million of cost overruns, two city audits, a five-year RCMP investigation and a pair of civil lawsuits.
Last week marked the start of five months of public hearings in a provincial inquiry into the construction project.