In a scene vaguely reminiscent of a building evacuation nearly a week ago, a handful of students gathered outside Hubbard Hall Monday afternoon after a fire alarm went off.

But for the second time, it wasn't a fire that brought the residents in contact with the chilly air.

Maintenance worker Sean Sullivan said he checked the control panel on the way out of the building.

"The alarm panel just says it's a water issue," said Sullivan, a communication junior, citing possibilities such as overflow or a clog. Maintenance workers said it might be a broken sprinkler head in the men's restroom.

"It's not anything new," he said. "There have been similar problems here before, but just how similar this is, I don't know."

MSU Physical Plant managers would not comment on the problem, other than saying that at 4 p.m., workers were still taking care of it. Hall and complex directors were not available for comment Monday afternoon.

Psychology sophomore April Thurston waited outside the lobby in pajama pants and crutches. She said she had to walk down the stairs with her crutches because the elevators were turned off.

"You can't hear the fire alarm from the second floor," she said. "I don't know if it's the elevator bell that everyone's hearing."

The electricity was out, but her floor's alarm wasn't on. Hall mentors woke up residents on each floor.

Prenursing freshman Wanda Nelson said she was awaken from her dorm room in North Hubbard Hall.

"I noticed my alarm clock wasn't working," she said. "I was a little disoriented."

Nelson said she didn't know how long she was going to stay outside.

"I'm going to go to the library or something," she said as she waited.

Residents were allowed back into the building within a half hour.

A water pipe in Hubbard froze and burst Tuesday, flooding some first-floor rooms.

"At least it's not at 7:30 a.m. like it was when the pipe burst," advertising junior Jessica Davis said. "I was very angry."

Staff writer Sonia Khaleel contributed to this report.