Elizabeth Twp. hydrant replaced after failing during fire

Pennsylvania American Water installed the new hydrant Monday and submitted the broken one to the manufacturer.

Pennsylvania American Water has replaced a fire hydrant on Dillon Road in Elizabeth Township after it failed when firefighters tried to use it during a large house fire Friday.

Crews were dispatched to the fire at the 900 block of Dillon Road just before 4 p.m. Friday, according to a social media post by the Elizabeth Township Fire Department, which stated that they spent more than four hours at the scene due to the “catastrophic failure” of the nearby hydrant.

Crews ran hand lines from other vehicles before the hydrant supplying their efforts failed, according to the post. The fire department said that caused a “shorter period” without access to water before a secondary supply was established.

Elizabeth Township Fire Chief Adam Janosko told our news partners at TribLive the hydrant near the incident “virtually exploded,” and that the cause of the failure was the age and lack of maintenance.

“For a hydrant to basically self-destruct like that is unheard of,” Janosko told TribLive. “We need to know the hydrants are going to work.”

Manager of external affairs Lauren Camarda said PA American’s top priority is the “safety of the communities” that they serve, and the hydrant involved in the incident passed its annual scheduled inspection in September.

“While our initial review indicates that operation of the hydrant during the event may have played a role, we have submitted the hydrant to the manufacturer for additional analysis to determine the cause of the reported performance issue,” the statement said. “In the meantime, the damaged hydrant has been replaced to provide continued reliability.”

The hydrant is connected to a large-diameter main designed to deliver high-volume flow that meets firefighting standards, according to the release, and PA American said it stands by the integrity of the infrastructure of the hydrants in the area.

The company plans to work closely with the fire department to ensure “optimal coordination and performance in future incidents,” the release states.

Janosko confirmed at Monday’s commissioners meeting that the water company was alerted and replaced the hydrant following the incident. The department also met with PA American Water representatives Nov. 12 to discuss the hydrants.

“PA American Water advised that they are working to address the concerns as quickly as possible,” Janosko said.

Township Code Enforcement Officer Rob Vitous said during Monday’s meeting that there are announcements throughout the year to keep community members aware of fire safety.

“In light of our recent fire tragedies as well as the holiday season and the winter months upon us, the number of house fires are at its highest this time of year,” Vitous said. “I will be posting general safety tips for the cool winter months.”

This is not the first time township fire officials have had issues with local hydrants.

In an article published in July for the Mon Valley Independent, Janosko has been trying to acquire fire hydrant information with little success, and has been coming to commissioner meetings for the last year to get more data.

Pennsylvania American Water said in a statement in July that it acknowledges the concerns raised by fire officials in Elizabeth Township regarding hydrant data.

Crews returned to the scene early Saturday to extinguish a part of the home that had reignited, Janosko said. There were no injuries, and the incident is a total loss.

The Allegheny County Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating the fire’s cause.