Easy access to fire hydrants is a requirement of every city's building codes, but Reno Fire Department says depending on the location and type of fire, getting to fire hydrants can be extremely difficult.
Last week a south Reno apartment complex was engulfed in flames, destroying 14 of 21 buildings. No one was injured in the vacant building blaze, but RFD Battalion Chief Jeff Voskamp said water was particularly hard to access for crews to put out flames.
“You had Geiger Grade and Veterans Parkway," said Voskamp. "So we place hydrants where buildings are actually at, not necessarily on streets. Two hydrants were able to be accessed, the other ones were basically in the middle of the fire ground.”
Voskamp said firefighters were eventually able to attach eight different fire hydrants to hoses to battle the blaze, but crews had to go through backyards, across streets, and into other neighborhoods to access them.