Vancouver elementary school closes ‘for months’ after burst frozen pipes cause flooding

A South Vancouver elementary school is closing for “at least a couple of months” after the massive winter storm earlier this week froze water pipes and ended up flooding the school.

The Vancouver School Board (VSB) says there is significant damage to Sir James Douglas Elementary and is in need of repairs before the staff and students can go back to the building.

“The admin team and District staff are working over the winter break to determine an alternate location for the Douglas school community. We are working as fast as possible, however, there are many complexities to consider. We do anticipate a slightly delayed school start because of this,” VSB told CityNews in a statement.

“The District recognizes this extenuating circumstance is challenging for staff, students, and families. It is our top priority to get the Douglas school community settled into a temporary school location as quickly as possible.”

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The Lower Mainland saw temperatures plummet earlier this month, where temperatures with windchill felt like minus 15 in Metro Vancouver and minus 30 in some places of the Fraser Valley.

VSB says more details will be shared with the school community as soon as they are available.

–With files from Robyn Crawford