Five frozen fire hydrants hamper Dayton, Kentucky firefighters. Two houses burn.
Four people, including two small children, escaped a raging fire here Wednesday that destroyed two homes.
The blaze started at 820 Walnut St. about 9 a.m. It shot out all sides of the house, including the roof, and quickly spread to the home next door on the south side. It took five fire departments and more than two hours to contain.
Firefighters from five departments responded – Bellevue-Dayton, Southgate, Fort Thomas, Newport and Campbell County Central. (Bellevue-Dayton Fire Chief Denny) Lynn said they got a late start fighting the blaze because water in five hydrants closest to the house was frozen.
They finally found two – one about a block away, and one about three blocks away – that worked.
“That hampered our efforts big-time,” Lynn said. “In my 35 years, I have not seen that many hydrants frozen. We’re talking to the water company to try and figure out what happened.”
Lynn said one firefighter from Southgate was hit by some falling debris from one of the homes, but his helmet protected him and he was back on the job minutes later.
