A fire hydrant that went viral on Sunday, April 13, for being inaccessible as its other end was facing a wall was finally repositioned after drawing flak when firefighters were not able to fully access and utilize it during a blaze in Barangay Obrero in Quezon City.
Fire hydrant (Photo from Jay Javier)
The fire hydrant was positioned near a wall, rendering it inaccessible as the fire hit a residential area - the biggest in the village to date, according to the victims.
The same area was also hit by a fire in 2018.
At least 77 families lost their homes during the fire which lasted for six hours.
Netizens were quick to criticize the position of the fire hydrant and its importance during fire incidents.
Barangay Obrero officials explained that the fire hydrant, however, was still used to fight the fire.
“Nagamit naman po 'yun. Ang nangyari lang po kasi, 'yung isang side nya, talagang nakapasok doon sa pader (It was used during the fire but the difficult part was that one side of it actually is facing the wall),” said Archie Pascual, Barangay Obrero’s administrator.
According to the Bureau of Fire Protection, the firefighters who responded were able to access the fire hydrant.
Investigations reveal that the fire hydrant was originally placed along the sidewalk, but due to road and sidewalk repairs, the water concessionaire moved the hydrant near the wall.
Quezon City Fire District Arson Investigator Senior Fire Officer 4 Rolando Valeña said only the water concessionaire is authorized to move the fire hydrant in the area.
Meanwhile, the owner of the compound where the hydrant was installed showed documents of their request to reposition the hydrant before the fire incident on Sunday.
The water concessionaire has repositioned the fire hydrant away from the wall. It was approved by the BFP based on its standards.
The BFP also reminded the public to not block or move fire hydrants as it is required to be functional during fire scenes.