Pointe Coupee fire crews battle house fire while waiting for city to turn on fire hydrant
NEW ROADS - Pointe Coupee fire crews ran into trouble when a house fire erupted and they couldn't access water from the hydrant across the road.
The fire happened on Patin Dyke Road around noon Monday. Homeowner Lionel Bailey said he was in Baton Rouge when he got the call from his neighbor.
"She had her cellphone on speaker, and when she walked up to him he said, 'Ma'am I see smoke coming out of the top of the house, I think the house is on fire'," Bailey said.
Neighbors said lightning sparked the blaze.
"The most that I've heard for now is lightning is the main area, I've talked to a few other neighbors. The one who lives right here says she was outside when she heard the lightning strike and she started smelling the smoke," neighbor Jacob Self said.
District 5 Fire Chief Aaron Edwards says the fire hydrant had been shut off by the city and fire crews were unaware
"I see the fire hydrant every day it's right there, to see it not work for a moment was kind of scary," Self said.
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Self's stepfather came out to help when the hydrant wouldn't turn on.
"My stepfather actually had to help the mechanic unloosen the fire hydrant back there, and I didn't think anything of it until someone told me it was actually having problems."
Bailey says he's just thankful no one was hurt.
"We have a lot of wonderful memories here, but at the same time we feel grateful that none of our family was in there, everyone's okay."
Chief Edwards says two firefighters were treated and released for heat-related injuries.