By Dennis Yusko
The Times Union
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. — A fire that devastated an apartment house on Grand Avenue, leaving 10 people homeless, has exposed problems with the city’s aging water pipes and hydrants, especially on the community’s west side.
City firefighters last week struggled to find water to extinguish the blaze at 153 Grand Ave. because of deficient water volume and pressure coming from some of its nearly 100-year-old hydrants and 4-inch water mains, fire officials say.
The department had to tap multiple hydrants in its effort to find one that could deliver the needed pumping capacity, Chief Robert Cogan said. The 4-inch pipes in most of the city’s west side, some of which are corroding, do not allow enough water through to fight big house fires, and some of the hydrants contain faulty valves, he said.
The home owned by Helena Frost probably could not have been saved even if the water system was fully functioning, but last week’s fire has shined new light on the west side’s decaying infrastructure.
“It’s come to the fore because of that situation,” Cogan said. “So we have entered into discussions with the Department of Public Works to evaluate our systems to mitigate any issues.”
Replacing all the small pipes would be prohibitively expensive, but there are things the city can do to improve water flow.
It could flush the lines to determine which are in the worst condition, ensure valves are in the proper positions and test hydrants, Cogan said. Another option is grading the hydrants and marking the back of them with their capacity so firefighters will know when they arrive on a scene which work the best.
Hydrants serve as a backup to fire trucks with water tanks and are used primarily during bigger blazes.
The Grand Street fire started accidently when a tenant set down a cigarette in an enclosed porch in the rear of the building at 2 a.m. Jan. 23. No one was hurt in the blaze, but it was hard to put out because it smoldered for several hours prior to triggering a smoke alarm.
The building was fully up to code and Frost had voluntarily restored its electrical system about four years ago, said Dan Cogan, codes administrator for the city.
“I know it was a struggle for the water for my particular fire, but I’m not sure how much of a difference it would have made,” Frost said in a telephone interview this week. “I defer to Mr. Cogan and others for their analysis.”
A benefit for the 10 people who lived in the burned building raised a total of more than $12,000, Frost said. She plans to demolish and rebuild.
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