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Fire hydrants dry as firefighters battle blaze

Posted at 6:35 PM, May 16, 2018
and last updated 2018-05-16 18:40:18-04

Firefighters in Buffalo encountered some hydrant issues while battling an overnight blaze on the city's East Side Wednesday.

Two hydrants, near Walden and Gittere according to fire officials weren't working. Firefighters could be heard over the radio talking about the issues.

"We've got a bad hydrant over here. We're going to have to shut down and move further back."

Flames could be seen blocks away shooting from the windows of the former Deli there.

Eventually firefighters had to try multiple hydrants to get water to the scene. A spokesperson for the Buffalo Water Authority, which deals with the hydrants says one was recently hit by a car. Officials were capping it off when our crews were on the scene Wednesday.

Neighbors in the area say this isn't the first time these hydrants haven't worked properly. Herold Hicks owns the car repair shop next to the Deli that burned down. He says there have been other fires in the area, and those same hydrants didn't work then.

"If the fire hydrant isn't working, they can't get the fire out fast. That means extra time and more damage," he said.

A spokesperson for the Buffalo Water Authority tells 7 Eyewitness News there's more than eight thousand fire hydrants in the City of Buffalo. They are inspected more than seven times a year, each.

 

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