News 12 has confirmed that the New York state Public Service Commission is investigating the water issues that may have greatly affected firefighters’ ability to tame a fatal fire in Spring Valley.
Spring Valley firefighter Jared Lloyd, 35, and one male resident of the facility who was not identified, died in the fire at Evergreen Court Home for Adults.
Fire officials say at the time of the incident, they immediately hooked their hoses up to nearby fire hydrants, but the pressure was too low and they had to extend their larger size hose over half a mile away, on Route 45.
The detour was a big obstacle for the firefighters battling a fire of its size.
State Assemblyman Ken Zebrowski says lower water pressure has been an issue in this area for years, and he’s calling on investigators in conjunction with Suez to find out why it’s a problem and how many other hydrants are low.
“We need to know why. We need to know why there’s low pressure, we need to know whether local developments’ decisions have not taken into consideration infrastructure demands and we need to make sure this never happens again,” he says.
A spokesperson for Suez says they are cooperating fully with authorities in the investigation.
Read more:: Public Service Commission investigating water issues in Spring Valley fatal fire
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