GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Crews are cleaning up Thursday after a fire broke out at a Grand Rapids business where firefighters discovered a handful of hydrants meant to provide crucial water were dry.
The Grand Rapids Fire Department said this situation was very unusual.
"We did have a water flow issue with three or four hydrants out there, and I don't know the cause of this," Grand Rapids Fire Department Fire Marshal Captain Bill Smith said.
WATCH: Non-working hydrants hinder firefighters at business fire in Grand Rapids
Firefighters were called to Clean Planet Recycling on Wednesday night. That's when the crews learned several hydrants weren't working. More crews were called in to set up a relay pump to get water to the scene, according to Smith.
"The hydrants are maintained by the water department, and they are engaged right now with trying to figure out what occurred, and I have every confidence that they will get to the bottom of it and fix that situation out there," Smith said.
About a decade ago the Grand Rapids Water Department took over checking fire hydrants from the Fire Department, per Smith.
FOX 17 News reached out to the Water Department for comment, asking when these hydrants were last checked and how often they are checked. So far, the department has not responded.
Before the transition, the Fire Department was checking hydrants and providing routine maintenance, according to Smith.
"We would open up the hydrants. That means we would take the steamers off, make sure they're correct, and then we put a valve on there, and we'd open them up and flow water until we had clear water, and then we would shut the hydrant back down and make sure it was draining," said Smith.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
"We laid out a lot of supply line. We had a relay pumping operation, for those of you that know, the fire service, we absolutely overcame this obstacle. We prevailed at the end of the day," Smith said.
One firefighter was injured, but fortunately, the injury was minor and the firefighter should be back on duty soon.
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