Countryside Veterinary got flooded by a broken pipe; shut for 10 days, back open now

Chronicle Staff Writer Ben Westcott reports: Major water damage from a broken sprinkler pipe on Saturday, Jan. 25, caused Countryside Veterinary Medical Group in Kingsbury to close for 10 days.

As of Monday, crews from Quick Response Restoration had been on the scene for over two weeks, Countryside owner Dr. James Keller told The Chronicle. He estimated it will take four to six weeks of construction to “rebuild” the hospital.

Countryside has managed to soldier on. “We have been able to rearrange our hospital to allow us to be open and functional,” Dr. Keller said.

He said a 3-inch sprinkler pipe on the second floor broke in a 36-inch section and that it’s estimated 5,000 to 10,000 gallons of water per minute were entering the hospital.

“Fortunately no people or pets were injured,” Dr. Keller said.

He said a turtle, a snake and a small chihuahua were in the facility and that the fire department grabbed those pets and put them into their fire trucks. Dr. Keller said he took the critters safely to his other facility, Barks and Rec Boarding and Daycare on Queensbury Avenue.

Dr. Keller said Washington County Fire officials first alerted him to the catastrophe and emergency personnel were there.

“When I arrived on scene on Saturday at 9 p.m. water was coming out the front door,” Dr. Keller said. “The entire hospital had anywhere between two to five inches of water depending on where you were in the hospital. The upstairs office space had areas of 12 inches plus of water.”

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