Mills Fire Chief Dispels Rumors Regarding Friday Night Blaze
Mills Fire Department Chief Bob Lanz is aiming to put to rest rumors regarding Friday night's apartment fire.
Lanz said there are a few rumors going around the community.
RUMOR: Fire hydrants not working
Lanz said there was never a shortage of fire hydrants as crews battled the fire. In fact, there were multiple hydrants surrounding the building.
"There was never a water issue of any kind," Lanz said. "The hydrants produced a ton of water.
"There was one bad hydrant," Lanz added. But that did not cause issue for firefighters.
RUMOR: Crews ignored a nearby residential area
As a weather system moved through the area at roughly 10 p.m., embers from the fire began blowing into a residential area. Some residents worried that firefighters ignored potential spot fires in the neighborhood.
But Lanz said there was a Natrona County Fire District engine stationed in the area for the duration of the fire and he himself personally patrolled the area.
"We kept a diligent eye on it," Lanz said, later adding, "It was being monitored all night."
Lanz said in addition to fire crews, police officers and public works people were monitoring for any spot fires.
RUMOR: A water storage tank was in danger of being drained
Lanz explained that the east side of Mills has a 600,000-gallon water storage tank that crews initially tapped into.
"The 600,000 gallon tank was being drained due to the length of time and amount of water flow. Therefore it became necessary to hook to hydrants on the western side of the system," Lanz said. "Once that was done we were able to reduce the use from the eastern side and allow that tank to refill while having adequate water for fire suppression."
Lanz said there was a supply issue which is why firefighters had to hook into the western tank.
At no time did firefighters run out of water.
RUMOR: The building should have had a fire suppression system
Lanz: "In fact, the building does have a fire sprinkler system that was not operational as of yet as there is no water or heat to the building."
Lanz added that's standard construction and nothing unusual.