BMW Fire Hydrant Obstruction: What Should The Punishment Be?


The owner of a BMW, which was parked obstructing a fire hydrant in Boston on Wednesday night, put firefighters lives at risk and slowed the battle against a raging fire which destroyed a number of homes.

The BMW was blatantly in violation of the parking restrictions near fire hydrants. Consequently, firefighters were forced to smash the front windows of the vehicle in order to thread a fire hose through the car to battle the blaze inside the adjacent building.

The fire on Lexington Street reached the status of eight alarms before fire crews got the blaze under control. Fortunately, no one was hurt in the fire, but almost 40 people had to find new accommodation.

The man who owned the BMW had only purchased the car two days before the fire hydrant obstruction incident; he has only been fined the requisite $100 associated with such a violation.

Rafael Henriquez, a friend of the BMW owner, said about his friend: “He was mad. I wanted to cry for him. Of course he brought that on himself.”

For the brave Boston firefighters who took on the blaze, the only thing on their minds was feeding water to the fire which had completely engulfed the homes.

Even though the BMW was parked next to a fire hydrant a street away from the blaze, that hydrant was a vital one, as Steve MacDonald of Boston Fire explained: “You don’t want to lose the full force of the water you’re getting from the hydrant. It’s important to be as straight as possible.”

Even after the windows of the BMW had been smashed and the hose run through the car there was still a kink in it. At that point bystanders helped firefighters to lift and bounce the brand new car a little distance from the curb.

MacDonald said: “You can move the car a short distance which is what they did to get the kink out. Again this is all effort that should be concentrated on putting the fire out.”

The cause of the fire was traced back to flames which came from a Toyota parked in a nearby alley which spread to three buildings in the immediate vicinity.

Following the incident, the story went viral as internet commentators condemned the BMW owner for carelessly and recklessly leaving his car parked next to a fire hydrant. The fact that he only received a $100 fine for his misdemeanor has caused many to call for him to be prosecuted and punished further.

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