VIDEO: A local fire chief says his township’s hydrants are not properly maintained, and it's putting residents and firefighters in danger.
There was a fire at a home in Madison Township at about 1:00 a.m. Sunday. When the firefighters arrived, the flames and the smoke were just the beginning of their problems. The home on Mosiman Road was fully engulfed. Luckily, there was a hydrant across the street.
“The pump operator and a couple of other people were trying to get the cap off with the hydrant wrench. They had to pound it because it was so tight,” said Deputy Chief Runnels. He was on scene on Sunday, and says they finally got the cap off, but the hydrant was so corroded, the arrow that shows which way to turn the spigot was not discernable. “You can [usually read the arrow] and it helps you out with the [direction],"he said.
While part of the crew tried to figure out the one hydrant, some went to another one down the street.