Mass. firefighters get creative when illegally parked car blocks hydrant at blaze

By Irene Wright
The Charlotte Observer

NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — A group of Massachusetts firefighters had an unexpected obstacle when responding to an apartment fire.

The New Bedford Fire Department said firefighters responded to a fire on the third floor of an apartment building on the evening of April 8.

When they arrived, there was something in their way.

A photo shared by the department on its social media showed a maroon Nissan parked directly in front of the fire hydrant closest to the apartment.

The crew had to get creative.

Rushing to battle the blaze, the fire crew ran its hose through the front windows of the Nissan. The fire department did not specify whether the windows had to be broken or if they were down.

The firefighters were then able to run the hose from the hydrant, through the car and up to the third story.

The fire department said the fire was contained to the kitchen space in the apartment and was started as an accidental cooking incident.

All residents of the building evacuated safely, but seven tenants, including children, were displaced by the fire, the department said.

The New Bedford deputy fire chief told WJAR needing to work around a car was a “rare incident.”

Parking within 10 feet of a fire hydrant is prohibited under Massachusetts state law.

New Bedford is about 60 miles south of Boston.

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