Small tankers, distant fire hydrants can complicate firefighters' responses to blazes in remote areas

Muskogee Phoenix photo: the May 2 fire site

One of the joys of living in rural America is the peace and serenity of small-town or country life. But with fewer people, homes sometimes few and far between, and fewer emergency services, comes the fear of fire departments running out of water during a blaze. That's a problem in many rural areas, including Muskogee County, Oklahoma, where in city limits fire hydrants must be within 500 feet of each other, but no such ordinance exists in rural areas, E.I. Hillin reports for the Muskogee Phoenix. As a result, emergency responders ran out of water while trying to put out a house fire on May 2, Hillin writes. Dailey said it took more than 25,000 gallons to extinguish the fire but that their tankers only hold 10,000 gallons, and the nearest fire hydrant was more than a mile away. That required fire fighters to make several trips to get more water. (Read more)