Waterbury probes failed hydrants after Bennett Avenue blaze delays crews

Two Bennett Avenue hydrants failed just as Waterbury firefighters arrived at a house fire that destroyed a home and two cars, forcing crews to stretch to a working hydrant on Fairfield Avenue about 0.2 miles away and costing roughly 20 minutes, Mayor Paul K. Pernerewski Jr. said.

The fire broke out late Monday night, April 6, 2026, and was brought under control around 1:17 a.m. No injuries were reported. The only person inside escaped safely with her dog after neighbors warned her, a close call that has sharpened scrutiny on whether older neighborhoods are being protected by water systems that have not kept pace with the city’s needs.

Waterbury officials said the likely problem was low pressure, possibly tied to debris buildup in a six-inch main feeding the hydrants. Pernerewski said the city has flushed hydrants every year but has not pressure-tested them for years, and likely has not done that testing in about 15 years or more. The National Fire Protection Association recommends hydrant flow tests every five years.

Pernerewski directed Police Chief Fernando Spagnolo to investigate the hydrant failure and compare Waterbury’s inspection and maintenance practices with federal, state, local and peer-city standards. He said the city wants a hydrant action plan within a week. The mayor also said the city will resume pressure testing, bring back a color-coding system to show hydrant capacity and create a citywide plan for tracking hydrant performance.

Under the proposed color system, hydrants that can deliver 1,500 gallons per minute or more would be painted blue, those between 1,000 and 1,500 green, and those at 700 or below red. Pernerewski said the issue may reach beyond a single hydrant or street, pointing to pipes that may be more than 100 years old.

The Fire Marshal’s Office is still investigating the cause of the blaze. For now, the Bennett Avenue fire has become more than a one-block emergency. It has exposed how a delayed water supply can ripple into a citywide question of maintenance, testing and whether the infrastructure beneath older neighborhoods is still ready when crews need it most.