DETROIT (WXYZ) — Thieves have destroyed nearly 75 fire hydrants on the west side of Detroit in the last 48 hours, stealing parts and putting lives at risk.
Crews with the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department are racing to repair the broken hydrants along Southfield Road and across the west side after thieves tore through dozens in about two days.
Watch Carli Petrus' video report below:
"We think the number is about 75 so far," DWSD Deputy Director Sam Smalley said.
The thieves are targeting metal nozzles and stems on top of the hydrants, which are worth about $600.
Executive Fire Commissioner Chuck Simms said the vandalism is a serious and unacceptable situation that puts lives at risk.
"No matter how fast we get to a fire, if we don't have an operable fire hydrant, it takes seconds, sometimes even minutes away from maybe us saving lives," Simms said.
Smalley noted the scale of the damage is the most alarming part.
"One hydrant here or there is manageable, but the problem is whoever's doing this is doing multiple hydrants in a row. So when DFD shows up, they're not going to have a hydrant within 600 or 900 feet, which put people's lives at risk," Smalley said.
City officials, including the Detroit Fire Department, Detroit Police Department and DWSD, came together Wednesday to address the issue. They are warning scrapyards not to accept the stolen parts.
"If we find you purchasing them, we're going to take action to the fullest extent that we possibly can," Smalley said.
Detroit police are working to track down whoever is responsible.
"This is a public safety issue. If my partners in blue are unable to respond to a fire properly, it can end lives or it can be the difference in saving lives," Detroit Police Cmdr. Dietrich Lever said.
Meanwhile, crews are installing stronger, harder-to-remove parts to prevent future thefts.
"We're putting in some specialized stems where we find that they've been taken. They're not easily removable with ordinary tools. You have to have special tools to remove them a second time," Smalley said.
Officials are asking the community to help stop the thefts.
"If you see anyone at all out here taking something from the hydrants please, call 911 because it is a theft and secondly, call the fire department or the water board and we'll be right on top of it," Simms said.
—————
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
