The Marine shower facility at the center of a viral video has been shut down for and quarantined off for repairs.
The video, which was posted on an Instagram page called “notinregz,” shows a group of Marines walking around a shower facility at Camp Geiger, North Carolina, that appears to have black spots of mold all over the walls and ceilings.
According to a report from Military.com, the video depicts the facilities at the School of Infantry-east, which is part of Camp Lejeune, one of two Marine Corps infantry schools, with a service spokesperson telling the outlet that the mold was apparently caused by a faulty air conditioning system and that the service members have been given an alternate facility to use.
TROOPS PLAGUED BY FILTHY CONDITIONS, SQUATTERS IN MILITARY BARRACKS: REPORT
A welcome sign stands outside of the Holcomb Gate on Marine Corps Base (MCB) Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, Jan. 8, 2008. MCB Camp Lejeune has been noted as the Home of the Expeditionary Forces in Readiness; directly supporting the II Marine Expeditionary Force. (Photo courtesy of U.S. Marine Corps)
“[The School of Infantry] has been continuously monitoring their buildings,” the spokesperson, Maj. Josh Pena, said. “But they’re aware that the buildings — it’s time for them to be refurbished.”
Pena also acknowledged that the Marines had been using the facility at the time the video was posted, noting that “what the school has done in response [is] they sent in health professionals to test everything, to see what’s going on.”
But reached for comment by Fox News Digital, Pena clarified that the area of the building depicted in the video had already been quarantined off before the short clip was filmed.
“They were aware before the students had checked in that were in the video, and that it had already been quarantined off,” Pena said. “The students went into an area that was quarentined.”
The story comes as the military has faced increased scrutiny over the living conditions of some troops, particularly younger members who spend their early years of service in dorm-like facilities.
Poor conditions in military barracks. (Government Accountability Office)
A report released by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) earlier this year detailed some of the worst conditions faced by services members, including living conditions plagued by roaches, bed bugs, toxic waste and squatters.
In one extreme example, GAO investigators found that service members at one installation were forced to be “responsible for cleaning biological waste that may remain in a barracks room after a suicide.”
For the Marines in North Carolina, Pena said the shower facility has been put on a list to be refurbished and will also be closed for testing and repairs. Meanwhile, other buildings will be inspected to make sure similar problems are not plaguing more facilities.
A GAO report photo showing water damage, broken pipes and a sewage spill in military barracks. (Government Accountability Office)
“The school of infantry wne through and check all off their buildings as part of a precautionary measure,” Pena told Fox News Digital, noting that he could not confirm if any other buildings revealed similar issues. “As of right now, what we have confirmed is that facility is closed off.”
Source: www.foxnews.com