Crime & Safety

This Is Why It's Illegal to Park in Front of a Fire Hydrant

Firefighters battling an eight-alarm blaze in East Boston Wednesday night were forced to smash the windows of a BMW parked in front of a fire hydrant.

The owner of a BMW on Wednesday night was reminded why it's illegal to park in front of fire hydrants.

Firefighters battling an eight-alarm blaze on Lexington Street in East Boston were forced to smash the windows of the luxury vehicle to connect a hose to a hydrant. One firefighter was injured and 33 residents were displaced by the blaze.

"There is really nothing funny about it," Boston Fire Department spokesman Steve MacDonald told the Boston Globe. "It’s really a serious situation. That water supply is the lifeblood of the engine company ... with that number of alarms, every hydrant is important.’"

Police ticked the vehicle, and by Thursday morning the vehicle was gone, the Globe reported.

Last month, two Boston firefighters were killed in a nine-alarm blaze on Beacon Street.


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