Recent fire highlights hydrant issues at Canton Township mobile home park
Mike Jones/Observer-Reporter
Firefighters were not able to tap into nearby hydrants when a fire destroyed a mobile home in Canton Township last month.
The home at 602 Best Ave. caught fire the afternoon of June 25. Nobody was home when the fire started, but South Strabane Township’s fire chief said two dogs and two cats were killed in the blaze.
The residence was part of the Town and Country Estates development. Town and Country Estates owns the hydrants and is responsible for their maintenance. According to Cramer, crews were aware that they would not be able to use the hydrants while en route to the scene.
“It’s a known and documented issue within that neighborhood there that the hydrants don’t function in the capacity needed to fight a structural fire,” Cramer said.
However, Stephanie Pettit, Canton Township’s manager, said the recent fire was the first time the issue was brought to the municipality’s attention.
“As far as I know, I don’t have any recollection of them having an issue prior to this event,” Pettit said.
Chuck LaBella, chief of the Canton Township Fire Department, said he does not recall ever attempting to use the hydrants during a fire call.
“I don’t remember using them. We always ran tankers up there, and that always seemed to work out. I don’t know what would happen if we turned one on,” LaBella said.
According to LaBella, they have not previously addressed the issue of the hydrants with Town and Country Estates.
“We as a fire department never really pushed it. We could probably ask them to do something, but the fire department wouldn’t be able to force it,” LaBella said.
An employee of Town and Country Estates declined to comment on the matter when a reporter called their offices Tuesday.
Cramer said tanker trucks loaded with thousands of gallons of water were needed to respond to the Best Avenue fire. He described it as “well involved” by the time crews arrived, and suggested it was unlikely that operational hydrants would have changed the outcome.
“To say the damage would be any different based on the hydrant operation would have been pretty tough,” Cramer said.
According to LaBella, his department, South Strabane and Chartiers Township fire departments have tankers that are able to respond to calls in the area.
“If we have to, we can get Taylorstown there,” LaBella said.
Pettit said it is the responsibility of Town and Country Estates to fix the hydrants, but that township officials are working with them to ensure that it is done.
According to Pettit, there are no township ordinances that require such a development to own and maintain operating fire hydrants.
“The township supervisors are also working with the township solicitor to see if there is any kind of regulating they can do to make sure this is something that doesn’t occur again,” Pettit said.