MITCHELL, Ind. – Firefighters in a small southern Indiana city are facing a major problem -- fire hydrants that don't work.
WTHR-TV reports Pam Condra's home in Mitchell burned down when firefighters couldn't locate a working hydrant nearby.
Chris Clock lost everything when firefighters couldn't get hydrants on either end of the house to work.
Mayor Gary Pruett acknowledges that with more than 200 fire hydrants around the city about 75 miles south of Indianapolis, there's a serious problem. Some of the hydrants are more than 70 years old.
Some of the hydrants in Mitchell don't work. Some do work, but town officials don't know which ones are reliable.
Pruett says officials are preparing to test hydrants throughout the city of 4,300.