Lack of fire hydrants in Houston County leads to unstoppable wildfires | WDHN

Christian Jones and Joseph Hodges

19 minutes ago

HOUSTON COUNTY, Ala. (WDHN) — A fire rages in Houston County, and no hydrants in sight – After a recent fire destroyed a Houston County home, the lack of fire hydrants throughout the area is being criticized.

On Wednesday, shortly before 7 p.m., the Cowarts Volunteer Fire Department responded to a call of a structure fire on Cummings Circle.

Cowarts Fire Chief Roger Nall said the fire started in the garage but quickly spread to the rest of the house, engulfing the entire structure in flames. However, in addition to the intense flames, emergency services faced another challenge trying to contain the blaze.

“One of the biggest problems we had was water,” Nall said. “There were no fire hydrants in the area.”

A single fire hydrant on Cummings Circle in the town of Avon is supposed to supply the entire town, about a half-mile from a local Houston County home destroyed in a massive fire.

Some wonder why more fire hydrants can’t be placed in more areas due to the lack of hydrants in some areas of Houston County.

A Houston County employee says installing more fire hydrants throughout the county is easier said than done.

The Cummings Circle house is not the first structure fire that had to be put out without a fire hydrant.

Last year, a Dothan trailer was destroyed after catching fire.

However, some areas cannot afford this due to the many guidelines and costs involved in obtaining a fire hydrant.

Houston County Water Authority Chairman Danny McNeil said the authority only has jurisdiction to place fire hydrants in unincorporated areas.

All other areas will be determined by their own municipalities.

McNeil says it’s very unlikely that a fire hydrant would be installed unless an area has a high water consumption and is sufficiently populated.