Burst steam pipe shuts Aquarium, but fish, penguins are OK

A steam pipe in the basement of the New England Aquarium burst around 10 a.m. today, forcing officials to close the attraction for the day and evacuate visitors already inside.

A spokesman reports:

Like many buildings downtown, we use steam for a variety of our utility functions. After a few minutes, it resulted in a power outage as well. With no power, we evacuated the building and notified the fire department as well as the steam company and our electric provider. After about 50 minutes, the steam was turned off and emergency electrical power was restored.

Given the need to repair the pipe and reset all kinds of electrical systems, we decided to remain closed for the remainder of the day. Thankfully, no one was injured, and our animals were all fine.

The Aquarium's IMAX Theatre is open for a lecture by Wendy Benchley tonight and will re-open to the public Thursday morning at 9 a.m.