Luck Of The Irish

Fire hydrant corner of Amity and South Prospect Street (Jones Library in background)

11 South Prospect Street

A couple of things that you certainly can't always count on worked to our advantage with the late night fire at 11 South Prospect Street:  first and foremost all 8 full-time professional firefighters were available to respond, although a few were enroute to a (false) box alarm on Pelham Road. 

Had two ambulances been on the road, which is all too common, that would have reduced by half the number of fire fighters available to respond.  And with a fire such as that the first few minutes are vitally important. 

Almost equally important the closest fire hydrant (on the corner of Amity and South Prospect Street) was totally cleared of snow and the extreme cold had not prevented it from functioning normally.

 Fire hydrant South Prospect Street: not overly accessible

The other nearby fire hydrant less than 50 yards south of the fire scene, which looks to be Amherst College responsibility, would certainly have been more problematic.