Houston Fire Chief Slams Water Department Over Hydrant Issues at Warehouse Blaze
Apr. 17—
Houston Fire Department Chief Thomas Munoz said the fire hydrants near the warehouse fire were not in working order, causing the massive blaze to spread.
Fire hydrants either had low or no pressure in the area, and the firefighters had to find hydrants that were in working order, Munoz said.
Houston Mayor John Whitmire, who showed up at the scene of the fire, slammed Houston Public Works for not keeping the hydrants in working order.
"If we don't make the city safe and have workable fire hydrants, nothing else matters," Whitmire said on Thursday morning.
The fire chief agreed.
"This is our lifeline," Munoz said. "We need that to protect our firefighters."
HFD said winds played a major factor in Thursday morning's warehouse fire. He said around 100 firefighters were at the scene. He said the firefighters were not going into the building at this time, instead taking a defensive approach to the fire.
The fire caused a partial roof collapse in the building, which HFD said may have caused the fire to spread even more quickly.
A hazmat team was at the scene, and air quality was being monitored in the area. The HFD said there was no need for concern for residents in the area.
The cause of the fire is still unknown.
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