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1869 Birdsill Holly fire-hydrant. Birdsill Holly Jr. (November 8, 1820 – April 27, 1894) was an American mechanical engineer and inventor of water hydraulics devices. He is known for inventing mechanical devices that improved city water systems and patented an improved fire hydrant that is similar to those used currently for firefighting.
The user (most likely a fire department) attaches a hose to the fire hydrant, then opens a valve on the hydrant to provide a powerful flow of water, on the order of 350 kilopascals (51 psi); this pressure varies according to region and depends on various factors (including the size and location of the attached water main).
This is notable because the first fire hydrant was invented by Manhattan fire fighter George Smith in 1817, making these devices 200 years old. [ 2 ] These incompatibilities have led to well-documented loss of life and buildings, including the Great Boston fire of 1872 , the Great Baltimore Fire in 1904, and the Oakland firestorm of 1991 .
Why did dozens of fire hydrants go dry as firefighters rushed to combat flames from spreading in the Los Angeles area? ... ' Looters taking advantage of wildfire-ravaged homes in California ...
Other fires, like the 2023 Maui fires and the 2017 Tubbs Fire in Northern California, have caused hydrants to go dry in the past, and it seems L.A. will need to go back to the drawing board if ...
A fire hydrant is pictured during the Palisades Fire on Jan. 8, 2025, in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. / Credit: Eric Thayer / Getty Images Salt water's long-term ...
The Department stated that high winds made it impossible to fight the fire from the air, putting inordinate pressure on the fire hydrant system. [256] Quiñones reported that the response to the fires caused "tremendous demand on our [water] system", with "the public water system faced four times its usual demand". [257]
The water system used to fight the Palisades fire in Los Angeles buckled under the demands of what turned out to be the most destructive fire in city history, with some hydrants running dry as they were overstressed without assistance from firefighting aircraft for hours early Wednesday.