CAMDEN, N.J. — For suburbanites who live in the land of plentiful parking lots, it may be hard to imagine the unique frustration of circling a city block in search of an empty space with a trunk full of groceries going bad by the minute.
Any big gap between two cars can quickly become an almost insurmountable temptation – even if it’s smack in front of a fire hydrant.
But the short-term convenience simply isn’t worth the risk. Blocking a hydrant can put lives in danger – and firefighters simply won’t stand for it.
One driver in New Jersey learned that lesson the costly way when Camden City firefighters responded to a rowhouse fire this week.
NewJersey.com reports they couldn’t connect a hose to the nearest hydrant because a minivan was parked right in front of it.
So, they smashed through the front windows and ran the hose right through it.
According to NBC10, they did it just in time. The fire was about to reach the attic, where it could have quickly spread to the adjoining homes.
Camden Fire Officers Local #2578 posted the video on Facebook as a warning to illegal parkers.
"Water supply is critical to safely mitigating a fire emergency. As such, it is important for the public to be aware that it is never a good idea to block hydrants. Lives are at stake," the union said to NBC10.
You can watch the video here:
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