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Fire hydrant freezes, unusable near Belleville house fire

Fortunately, in this case, fire fighters had a backup plan. The Belleville team could tap into another resource.

BELLEVILLE, Ill. – Late Wednesday night a frozen fire hydrant delayed first responders from fighting a house fire.

It happened in Belleville, Illinois on South 21st Street, with two people and a puppy making it out unharmed.

But in a situation where seconds count, what can communities do to avoid similar problems?

Will your hydrant work when you need it?

In this case, the answer was no.

"It's just that water got too high in this hydrant and it wasn't able to drain out" said Tom Pour, Belleville Fire Chief.

And so, it froze solid inside.

It's just one scenario, the I-Team had in mind when it started its ongoing investigation of the condition of local fire hydrants in cities across our area.

The I-Team found inspections are key, because in cold weather an untreated leak or crack can take a hydrant out of commission.

Fortunately, in this case, fire fighters had a backup plan. The Belleville team could tap into another resource.

"We couldn't hook to the ground water supply so we hooked to another truck," said Pour.

As for why this hydrant's drain was clogged or how many others may be clogged or unusable?

Illinois American water is responsible for the 1200 hydrant Belleville.

And they've have refused to let us view their inspection records.

Why?

They said because of "terrorists,” citing a public safety concern.

Illinois American water said Belleville's hydrants are inspected every fall.

The company also said that the hydrant will be fixed Thursday or Friday.

Full statement from Illinois American:

A frozen hydrant is a very rare occurrence. This is the first I have been involved with in my 21 years here.

Our Illinois American Water employees manually inspect and operate all our hydrants annually, in the fall. We work closely with our local fire officials and departments on public safety. It's top priority. In this case, we have worked with the fire chief and fire department today. We have a strong partnership with Belleville Chief Tom Pour and his team.

The hydrant in question is being thawed. If it needs to be fully replaced, it will be replaced. Fire safety is never in question. There are hydrants located in close proximity to the hydrant, approximately 200-300 feet from one another. It is a continuous back-up system throughout our communities.

This hydrant was frozen. This could have been caused if it was operated since its last inspection a few months ago and water did not drain fully.

We are very confident of our hydrant system in Belleville and elsewhere. This hydrant in Belleville was a rare exception caused by bitterly cold weather, which is a challenge to water systems. Our team here at Illinois American Water is working around-the-clock, in the cold, adverse conditions, to ensure our customers remain in water service.

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