TOWN OF POUGHKEEPSIE – A garage fire on Sunday afternoon was being extinguished by Arlington firefighters when a careless driver drove over the hose carrying water to the firefighters, putting lives at risk.
At approximately 4:30 p.m., the Arlington Fire District responded to a garage fire at 477 Haight Avenue (eastbound arterial). Upon arrival, Arlington’s fire command asked the City of Poughkeepsie Fire Department to provide supplemental assistance.
Arlington firefighters had connected a supply line from the hydrant that in turn, fed the fire engine to pump water to the hoses used by the firefighters. The firefighters were using a single hose from the fire engine to fight the flames in the small, detached two-car garage.
A careless motorist ignored the emergency vehicles and proceeded to drive over the large-diameter hose line that was supplying water to the fire engine and firefighters. The motorist interrupted the water supply, jeopardizing the safety of first responders and damaging the hose. According to Arlington Fire District Chief Bill Steenbergh, the section of damaged hose costs between $750 and $1,000 to replace.
Noting that the fire was extinguished quickly despite the driver damaging the hose, Chief Steenbergh reminded people that the actions of the motorist could have created a much different situation.
“This could have had catastrophic consequences, had the fire been larger, and we lost our water supply,” Chief Steenbergh said. Driving over a fire hose is a violation of the state’s vehicle and traffic laws and the motorist was ticketed by the Town of Poughkeepsie Police.
“Damaging our supply line by driving over it, could be immediately life-threatening to both firefighters or trapped civilians, as it interferes with our ability to attack the fire,” Steenbergh warned.
The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Arlington Fire District Investigation Division but is not considered suspicious at this time, according to the chief.
“The rapid response by our on-duty firefighters prevented greater damage to the garage and extension to house, about 15 feet away,” according to fire command. Steenbergh noted that in addition to the City of Poughkeepsie fire department at the scene, the Roosevelt, Pleasant Valley, and New Hamburg fire departments were placed on standby to battle the fire if it had extended to the house.
