The Aurora Inn was damaged this week after a leak in the fire-sprinkler system sent thousands of gallons of water into interior walls, damaging some guest rooms and the dining room.

The break in the line occurred at 3:10 p.m. Tuesday and was stopped by 3:30 p.m., according to Sue Edinger, general manager. Edinger said the inn will reopen Friday, Aug. 8.

"The system did what it was supposed to do," Edinger said, "pumped out a lot of water."

In fact, the system pumped out 500 gallons of water a minute for 20 minutes, damaging walls, ceilings and carpeting in four of the 10 guest rooms in the Inn as well as about one quarter of the dining area, Edinger said.

As six of the guest rooms were unaffected, the Inn is serving in-house guests dinner on their private porches.

Edinger said insurance adjusters had been through the building, so she didn't know Friday what the extent of the damage is in terms of dollars.

"The ceilings have to come out," she said. The sprinkler line was new in 2003 when it was installed during the restoration of the Inn. Why a portion of the line cracked in a wall behind a bed in one of the guest rooms is still not clear.

"We were all here when it happened," Edinger said, "so everyone worked very quickly and we were able to save all of the furniture, fixtures, and equipment in the rooms."

Northeast Construction of Syracuse is already working on replacing the ceilings, she said, the same company that did the 2003 restoration. Edinger said that the company knows the building well and would be able to complete the job before next Friday, when the dining room will again be open to the public.