Florida woman watched home burn as hydrant closest to her house was broken: 'Not an easy feeling'

Fire hydrant deemed 'inoperable' as home burns

A woman in Orange County watched as her home burned down and firefighters struggled to pump water. Orange County Utilities (OCU) and Orange County Fire Rescue (OCFR) confirmed the closest fire hydrant was not working the day of the fire.

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. - A woman in Orange County watched as her home – and all of her belongings inside – burned, as firefighters had to quickly find a second water hydrant as the one closest to her home malfunctioned.

"It’s really not an easy feeling," said Wendy Chen said, speaking first with FOX 35's Manny Martinez. "Just stood there and watched the fire grow."

It happened Oct. 26 at Wendy Chen's home on Buckhorn Run Court in Hunters Creek.

Chen tried to douse the flames herself with a garden hose. She said she was at first relieved when firefighters showed up to limit the damage, but that relief turned to heartbreak when the first hydrant did not work.

Instead, firefighters had to quickly find another working hydrant on a nearby street – which they did, and were able to put the fire out. However, the fire was extensive and swept through Chen's home.

Orange County Utilities (OCU) and Orange County Fire Rescue (OCFR) both confirmed to FOX 35 that the closest fire hydrant was not working the day of the fire. It turns out, there was an internal mechanical component that failed.

An inspection was done a few days later – and the fire hydrant was fixed. Unfortunately, it was too late for Chen.

"OCU investigated and found the hydrant was inoperable because of a mechanical issue with an internal component." It was temporarily taken out of service and fixed," a spokesperson for Orange County told FOX 35.

She feels the minutes lost finding another hydrant to connect to could have limited the damage. Those minutes felt like hours, she said.

She was overcome with emotion during the interview with FOX 35, but she still smiled and joked.

"I always complained I needed sky light to have more light," Chen said. "I didn’t expect to have [it] wide open. I know everyone says everything happens for a good reason. It’s for [the] better. I don’t know what Boss wants me to do."