Blocked Fire Hydrant Sat Across the Street as Homes Burned in QC

(SPOT.ph) More than 100 homes went up in flames in Barangay Obrero, Quezon City on the night of April 12. What made this incident particularly alarming for one resident named Jay Javier is that right across the street from the blaze sat a fire hydrant, one he had been reporting as obstructed for over a year.

According to Javier's now-viral post on Facebook, he had first alerted the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) of the obstruction in 2024 after he noticed a neighbor extending their perimeter wall in 2023, resulting in some of the fire hydrant's valves being blocked. Inspectors who responded confirmed the setup violated the Fire Code, but no action was taken.

Javier said he followed up on the matter again this year. Firefighters came and cleared a parked car, but the wall remained. He said he and his neighbors also reported the issue multiple times to the barangay.

“No one was doing anything,” Javier wrote in his post. “Hihintayin pa ba nating magkasunog? was what I kept asking them.”

Then the worst happened on April 12.

Also read: Volunteer Firefighter Finds Own House in Flames in Malate

A violation of the Fire Code

The fire broke out around 11:20 p.m. along Makabayan Street, prompting the BFP to deploy more than 20 fire trucks to the scene. 

According to the BFP, only two of the four valves were accessible on the fire hydrant on Scout Ojeda, confirming the concern Javier had raised. The firefighters had to draw water from distant hydrants on Timog and Tomas Morato.

“The damage would have been much less if only those 20 thirsty engines could have tapped into that obstructed yellow hydrant,” Javier wrote. 

At least 143 families were displaced by the fire.

Section 11 of the Fire Code's implementing rules and regulations lists "obstructing designated fire lanes or access to fire hydrants" as a prohibited act. This means any structure, vehicle, or object that blocks access to a fire hydrant violates the law.​ In addition, the Fire Code defines a "fire hazard" as any condition or act that may obstruct, delay, hinder, or interfere with the safeguarding of life and property. 

"Kadalasan ang nae-encounter  ng BFP personnel, may nakapark na sasakyan sa tapat ng bollard kung saan nakalocate 'yung mga hydrant, another one is pinapasok sa property line ng mga homeowners 'yung mismong hydrant," BFP Chief of Community Relations Gabriel Solano told TV Patrol. "Ang BFP ay handang sumampa sa kahit sinumang indibidwal na deliberate na mag-obstruct sa fire hydrant, kasi in essence, it is preventing the BFP from performing its function."

SPOT.ph has reached out to the BFP and Quezon City District 4 Councilor Egay Yap to confirm whether they received reports about the obstructed hydrant and to ask what actions, if any, are planned moving forward. No response has been received as of writing.

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