PASCO, Wash. – A fire at Tri-City Pallets in Pasco on Monday destroyed part of an outbuilding, five semi-truck trailers and several rows of stacked pallets.
The business’s owner, Evaristo Sanchez, believes the City of Pasco is liable because of a faulty fire hydrant.
Sanchez told NonStop Local on Tuesday that a broken hydrant near Tri-City Pallets had recently passed a fire inspection, however it did not work when crews arrived at the fire a day prior.
Until the fire, he was unaware that it was not working.
The City later issued a statement on the faulty hydrant which had a damaged operating nut. The press release said that while it had not worked, three other nearby hydrants were working and were used to fight the fire.
“Our fire crews are well-prepared and equipped to handle various scenarios,” said Pasco Fire Chief Kevin Cowley. “Alternative hydrants and strategies were successfully implemented to manage the fire effectively. In this instance there was no significant compromise or delay in our firefighting strategy or effort.”
The City goes on to say that it maintains 3,242 fire hydrants across the city that are all tested on a two-year cycle. The broken hydrant had been regularly maintained, according to the City.
