Ladder truck unable to navigate windy road blocks rigs trying to get to fire. House burns down during lengthy delay in Mukilteo, WA.
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Normally the idea is to make sure the ladder truck isn't blocked from good access to the fire. This time it was the ladder doing the blocking. It happened Wednesday morning in Mukilteo, Washington. Firefighters were delayed getting to a house fire because the first rig in, a ladder truck, couldn't easily navigate the switchbacks leading to the house. The rig ended up blocking access to the burning home for some time. Thanks to Tom Harkin at thebravest.com for pointing us to this story.
Neighbors said it seemed to burn for 45 minutes before firefighters could start getting water on it. It was then put out quickly, but it was too late.
On their way to the blaze in the 6000 block of 88th St. SW, firefighters encountered sharp curves, narrow driveways and winding roads. We counted at last 10 sharp turns that all the fire trucks had to pass to get to where the fire.
"It's just a series of switchbacks in this area," said Assistant Mukilteo Fire Chief Brian McMahan. "Ladder 23 was coming down one of the switchbacks and got to the point they could no longer make the turn."
At a length one-third longer than regular fire trucks, Ladder 23 responded only because several other Mukilteo fire units were busy at another fire. And because it was the very first truck here, it temporarily blocked all other trucks.
Was it delayed long enough to have made the difference? Mukilteo fire officials can't say yet.
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