Yes, this is real
https://qns.com/2026/02/man-killed-elmhurst-fire/
https://pix11.com/news/local-news/queens/car-blocks-hydrant-during-fatal-fire-in-queens-fdny/
An apartment caught fire yesterday in Queens, New York City. A man died because firefighters couldn't access the fire hydrant. A car is now parked on the same fire hydrant the day after this tragedy
https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/3ec9c23e9982.mp4
23 Comments
CompactFlax@discuss.tchncs.de · 52 pts · 192d
I’ve seen firefighters just push the car out of the way or break windows. Why not this time? Smash the window out, open the door, hook hose up.
Korhaka@sopuli.xyz · 43 pts · 192d
Smash doors off, pipe water through the car. It is of no concern to me how much water gets left inside the car.
SARGE@startrek.website · 36 pts · 191d
pageflight@piefed.social · 29 pts · 192d
Maybe they did? It still would take critical time. But I agree it would be totally appropriate.
Ferrous@lemmy.ml · 24 pts · 192d
Perhaps they did, and the extra 2 minutes it cost them was enough to doom the tenant.
Soulg@ani.social · 15 pts · 192d
That's what they're supposed to do. Id be asking them why they didn't in addition to being mad at the person who parked in front of the hydrant
idiomaddict@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 191d
I’d be more than mad, I’d want to at least charge them and see if their actions fit negligent homicide. Moral luck isn’t fair, but don’t fucking park in front of hydrants and it won’t come up like this.
akilou@sh.itjust.works · 46 pts · 192d
Why don't they put curb bumpouts at fire hydrants?
doc@fedia.io · 23 pts · 192d
I've never understood why they don't for roads where there is a parking lane. Or why the connection is perpendicular to the curb rather than parallel.
However, as with most safety things I assume there must be a valid reason they have been installed in this manner for decades.
rainwall@piefed.social · 14 pts · 191d
Unfortunantly, the number 1 reason most safty things dont happen is cost. Red paint on a curb is way, way cheaper than a concrete bump out or other physical barrrier, and it occasionaly generates ticket revenue. Win win from a city budget perspective.
Its why bike lanes are often nice cheap white lines, or in exotic US locals pretending to care, slighlty less cheap green paint paths.
timbuck2themoon@sh.itjust.works · 4 pts · 191d
Yep. Read "There are no accidents" by Jessie Singer to see why tragedies like this happen.
SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca · 2 pts · 191d
whenever you dont understand engineering decisions the answer is always cost.
quick_snail@feddit.nl · 1 pts · 191d
NYC literally lines their curbs with steel plates. Cost is not an issue in this city.
cravl@slrpnk.net · 3 pts · 190d
I would guess they face forward because they want it to blow into the street during clean out rather than onto the sidewalk? Alternately, if they have to pull across the street, maybe they don't want the main hose to kink if pulled sideways.
What I really don't understand is why they don't make one of the smaller side hose taps the same size as the front pumper tap. You could have an adapter already on it too, so you can connect either size hose just as quickly.Nvm, I did some research and this is already a thing, often with 45 degree hydrants called the "Chicago Standard" (not enough, IM^(uneducated)O).frank@sopuli.xyz · 2 pts · 191d
I'm guessing where it snows this would be hard to plow
BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today · 11 pts · 191d
So cops can park there.
TigerAce@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 3 pts · 191d
Or why not placing them further on the sidewalk so there's never a car that close to it? You don't even need to have that spot free of cars, enough space for the hoses to get around it.
ThePantser@sh.itjust.works · 30 pts · 192d
The fact the plate wasn't shown is disappointing. Call them out and name and shame. The one parked there during the fire needs to be charged with manslaughter.
NoblityAbility@lemmy.world · 22 pts · 192d
pdqcp@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 15 pts · 191d
They should make rain gardens in front of fire hydrants instead of leaving the space open for parking
quick_snail@feddit.nl · 6 pts · 191d
I thought if that happened the fire truck would just ram the car. What happened?
IphtashuFitz@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 191d
You can find plenty of photos where the firefighters just smashed out the car windows and ran their hoses through the car.
TigerAce@lemmy.dbzer0.com · -2 pts · 191d
Well, advcoste of the devil here. Statistically a fire happening roughly in the same place where the same hydrant is needed for is rather low.
But technically the level of asshole-ness of the driver doesn't decrease because of this.
And of course there's no excuse to do this.
jerkface@lemmy.ca · 10 pts · 191d
Yes, statistically, each individual time someone does something selfish with the commons for their own benefit, the chance that there will be negative consequences is relatively small, or else the people around them would not capitulate to the antisocial behaviour. Then they chip away a bit more, and a bit more.
TigerAce@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 1 pts · 191d
Yeah I know, I was just joking around. People are dumb and selfish.