Dry Fire Hydrant Hampers Oklahoma City Firefighters At House Fire

News9.com

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Oklahoma City firefighters had to search for a working fire hydrant Friday morning while battling a house fire near N.W. 88th Street and N. Shartel.

Firefighters were called out to 618 N.W. 88th Street at 5:45 a.m.  When they pulled up, they saw smoke and flames shooting from a home.

When fire crews tried to tap water from a nearby fire hydrant, they discovered it was dry.  They had to travel two blocks to find a working hydrant.

Acting Fire Chief Brian Stanaland says it is very rare for a fire hydrant to be dry, and there could be several factors behind the malfunction.  Oklahoma City does have a program in which fire departments check hydrants once a year.  They report any problems or need for repairs to the water department.

Acting Fire Chief Stanaland says fire crews are always prepared to deal with situations such as a dry hydrant, so firefighters were still able to quickly begin pouring water on the house fire.

The fire was extinguished in about 30 minutes. No one was injured.  The homeowner told News 9 he heard the fire alarm early this morning and first thought it was his cell phone ringing.  He quickly realized his home was on fire and escaped from the house.

The house appears to be a total loss.