There’s a good reason you shouldn’t park in front of a fire hydrant. Though the chances may be slim, there may come a time when your car is the one preventing firemen from doing their jobs.

Boston firefighters called to a Sunday blaze in the South End know this all too well. Firefighters arrived at a three-alarm fire at an apartment building on Rutland Street this morning ready to battle flames—only to find that a black BMW was parked directly in front of the street hydrant.

Boston Fire Department tweeted this photo of a firefighter trying to connect a hose to the fire hydrant:

This never helps pic.twitter.com/EoEKSgTDYJ — Boston Fire Dept. (@BostonFire) November 16, 2014


The department later responded to questions about the parked car in front of the hydrant by saying:

Purpose of posting the photo is to remind all firefighters need access to hydrants. Help us Help you when there is a fire — Boston Fire Dept. (@BostonFire) November 16, 2014

Despite the car owner’s disregard for parking regulations, firefighters were able to extinguish the blaze by 8 a.m. Officials said two city firefighters suffered minor injuries and were taken to local hospitals. Five adults and two children were displaced from three apartments, but suffered no injuries.

Investigators said the cause of the fire was a halogen lamp coming into contact with a mattress in a bedroom on the third floor.

This isn’t the first time the fire department has had to battle with a fire and an entitled car owner.

There seems to be a special relationship with BMW owners and fire hydrants, specifically of the parking nature. You might have thought that this person would have learned from the mistakes of another BMW owner who parked in front of an East Boston hydrant in April:

See what happens to newer BMW parked at a hydrant during @BostonFire 8 alarm fire tonight. My photo @bostonherald pic.twitter.com/UzYFzW3LWM — Mark Garfinkel (@pictureboston) April 10, 2014

Because the fire was on the opposite side of the street from the hydrant, firefighters did what they had to do in order to get water on the flames, and that included smashing the car’s driver and front passenger-side windows to run a hose right through.


Even if you avoid parking in front of a fire hydrant, but choose a spot on the corner, your car may become collateral damage anyway, like this one:

This Nissan parked a little too close to the curb when the fire truck had to get down the alley #SouthEndFire #7News pic.twitter.com/pQfX71jyCB — Kris Anderson (@KrisAndersonTV) November 16, 2014

Look: As tempting as it may be to park in front of a fire hydrant, just keep circling in search of a legal spot—or be prepared to face the consequences.