While most of us flipped burgers and roasted marshmallows over the Fourth of July weekend, some shopped to celebrate Independence Day.
At Penn Square Mall, holiday browsers got more than their coupons promised when the shopping center flooded with dark red water.
Oklahoma City Fire Department was called to Penn Square the afternoon of Independence Day. Apparently, it’s true what they say; a hero’s job is never truly done, not even when they promise to grill the hot dogs. Some foes, like dirty water, are never fully vanquished.
Firefighters didn’t stay long; about a half-hour after arriving, they shut Penn Square down for the day.
KFOR reported that the cloudy, ominous water poured into the mall July 4 due to a broken valve. It first filled Macy’s before swamping other first-floor shops and walkways in three to five inches of water.
The red-dirt water’s reign of terror also was short-lived.
By July 5, the mall was back to regular business hours, though a statement from Penn Square Mall general manager Jeffrey Runnels warned shoppers that some stores might still be closed for cleanup.
