The Boston Fire Department defended itself on Twitter Sunday after receiving several comments criticizing fire officials who did not bust out the windows of a BMW that was parked in front of a fire hydrant during a South End fire earlier that day. Two firefighters were injured and eight residents were displaced after a three-alarm fire broke out in a South End apartment building at 64 Rutland St. early Sunday morning.
Fire fighters had the blaze knocked out around 8 a.m., but while chronicling their response on Twitter, @BostonFire revealed in an official tweet that a BMW was blocking a nearby fire hydrant. A photograph showed a firefighter attempting to connect a fire hose to the hydrant, with the BMW parked snuggly against the curb. The caption read, “This never helps.” Hours later, around 1:20 p.m., the department said they received “lots of comments” asking why responders did not smash the window of the car.
“We don’t intentionally damage things,” @BostonFire tweeted. “In this case. Nothing was to be gained from going through car. The only goal is to get water as quickly as possible… [The]Purpose of posting the photo is to remind all firefighters need access to hydrants. Help us Help you when there is a fire.” The fire department often defersquestions related to fire emergencies to their Twitter timeline.
Investigators later revealed that Sunday’s fire was sparked by a halogen lamp.
Flames were mostly contained in the third-floor apartment, which “will be unoccupied for a while,” Boston Fire spokesman Steve MacDonald told The Boston Globe.
Boston Fire catches flak for sparing BMW parked in front of hydrant
