Car parked in front of hydrant delays response to Seattle fire
Apr 24, 2015, 2:10 PM | Updated: 8:56 pm
A fire caused more than $50,000 in damages to a SoDo district business. A vehicle parked in front of the business delayed the response time by firefighters. (Photo courtesy of Seattle Fire Department)
(Photo courtesy of Seattle Fire Department)
A parked car delayed the Seattle Fire Department’s response to a fire in a commercial building that caused more than $60,000 in damages Friday morning.
Crews arrived at Pius Kitchen & Bath (2462 1st Ave. South) in the SoDo district at approximately 9 a.m. The first unit to arrive had an obstacle to get around before it could begin spraying.
“We needed that hydrant and a car was parked in front of it,” fire department spokesman Kyle Moore said. “It delayed the response to get water to the fire.”
Firefighters were forced to lift the hose over the car, after hooking it up to the hydrant. There wasn’t much space to maneuver, Moore said.
Though they don’t prefer to damage property, firefighters will smash windows of a car parked in front of a hydrant, Moore said.
“If it’s the difference between saving someone’s life and saving a large-scale building, we’ll do what it takes to get water to the scene,” Moore said.
Though they spared the vehicle’s windows, Moore said there were people in the building when they originally received the call. Employees and customers were able to evacuate before crews arrived.
A faulty ventilation fan caused the fire. The fan pushed smoke and fire through the building, Moore said.
The fire caused about $10,000 in damage to the building and between $50,000 and $55,000 in damages to the contents of the building, Moore said.
Law enforcement didn’t completely ignore the car. The Seattle Police Department issued a $42 citation and impounded the car for being illegally parked.
The driver ignoring the rules around a fire hydrant is another example of Seattle drivers hindering law enforcement and emergency personnel. Drivers often refuse to pull over for emergency vehicles on the freeway, or find other ways to create an unsafe environment, King County Medic One paramedic Jake Rosenblum told KIRO Radio’s Chris Sullivan.
Related: Seattle drivers can’t handle themselves around emergency vehicles
During Rosenblum’s 13 years behind the wheel, he has seen it all from Seattle-area drivers. That includes people trying to outrun emergency vehicles, or simply not noticing — or pretending not to notice.
don't park in front of hydrants it impacts our ability to run water to the fires. pic.twitter.com/mJYoyh1f06
— Seattle Fire Dept (@SeattleFire) April 24, 2015
