​​Tuesday classes that regularly meet in the Ansin Building will be held remotely, if possible, following a flooding issue in the building late Monday night, Police Operations wrote in a community-wide email.

Ansin Building will remain closed tomorrow, Tuesday, Sept. 16, and students should look for instructions from their professors about individual classes, the email stated. The incident caused an evacuation of the building and prompted cleanup efforts among facilities staff.

The flood, which began at 6:45 p.m., was caused by damage to an HVAC pipe on the eighth floor that triggered the fire alarms on the seventh, eighth, and ninth floors. According to information obtained by The Beacon by ECPD, all floors underneath the floors were affected. This includes the Analog Film Post-Production Facilities on floors five, six, and eight, and Digital film and Audio Post-Production Facilities on floors seven and eight, the most impacted by the flood according to ECPD. Additionally, the registrar and academic advising office are located on floor four, and media services and Emerson channel on floor three.

“We do not believe there was any damage to classroom equipment and no injuries were reported,” the email read. The email didn’t mention the state of the WERS radio station located below. According to a Beacon reporter, there were no identifiable damages to equipment as of 8:50 p.m., although flooding was visible in the lobby of the station. 

Employees with offices in the building, which includes the executive offices of President Jay Bearnhardt and many faculty offices, were told to work remotely for the day. Ansin Building was constructed in 1931, according to a college spokesperson.

The Boston Fire Department responded to the fire alarms and cleared the building for reentry by staff and maintenance personnel. As a precaution, the building was evacuated by ECPD, and evening classes that were in session were canceled, the email continued. Ansin was closed for the remainder of the night.

Police Operations clarified in the email that the issue is unrelated to the water main replacement construction that was scheduled to begin on Boylston St. at 7 p.m. on Monday night.

Emerson Facilities staff are working throughout the evening to address the issues created by the water leak, which the college expects to be completed within the next 12-24 hours, according to the email.

“Thank you for your patience and cooperation as we work with our facilities team to resolve this issue as quickly and safely as possible,” the email concluded.

Arthur Mansavage contributed to this report.

The Ansin Building will be closed for the remainder of the night, with all evening classes in the building canceled due to a flood on the 8th floor. The flood was caused by a break in the water main, according to the Emerson College Police Department. While no official source of the flood has been reported, some students in the building were told it may have been an air conditioning unit on one of the upper levels. 

Water can be seen dripping from the ceiling into propped-up trash cans along every affected floor, with maintenance workers hustling to manage the outburst and mitigate property damage. Student lab workers on the upper floors were also working to save any equipment, turning off electronics and ensuring that there was no water damage. The yellow-and-brown water originated from the eighth floor, but affected all floors, according to Beacon reporters on the scene. Shop vacuums were also in use in flooded areas for cleanup.

According to the ECPD, the school’s higher management, including President Jay Bernhardt, were in the building to assess the situation. Bernhardt is working to ensure the damages do not affect regular operations. Now, ECPD officers remain on the scene to monitor the situation.

Water also reached the lower levels where the WERS radio station is located, as well as the basement of the building, where a musty odor could be traced to the water on the floor. According to a Beacon reporter, there were no identifiable damages to equipment.

Sam Shipman and Arthur Mansavage contributed to this report.

This is a developing story. Stay tuned for updates.