Basketballs hit anywhere in the Wiscasset Community Center gym, but one on Tuesday night sheared off a sprinkler head and forced the center’s closure, Parks and Recreation Director Todd Souza said. The center reopened Thursday, but there may be damage that requires the gym floor to be replaced, Souza said.

The incident happened at about 8 p.m. Dec. 13 during open gym; the sprinkler strike set off all the sprinklers in the gym and an alarm system, so the fire department came, Souza said. Once the water was shut off, center staff and firefighters shoveled, swept and used the center’s floor-cleaning machine to get hundreds of gallons of water off the floor.

Overnight Tuesday into Wednesday, fans were kept on to continue the drying, Souza said. The town’s insurer visited before the center reopened, and although there is no damage to the gym floor’s surface, there may be water remaining underneath that could cause mold or other issues, he said. ServPro was also called in; no determination has been made on whether the floor, original to the 1990s building, needs replacing, but it may, Souza said.

The ball shearing off the sprinkler head was an accident, just an unfortunate incident, Souza said. Saturday’s Breakfast with Santa is still on for 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.