Someone Is Going Around Illegally Opening Up Fire Hydrants In Northeast

There’s a hydromaniac (possibly more than one?) on the loose in two D.C. quadrants.

In Northeast over the last several days, someone has been going around and illegally opening up fire hydrants, according to DC Water. Mark Segraves at NBC4 first reported the news this morning.

DC Water confirmed several incidents to DCist. Over the weekend, hydrants at 1330 W Street NE, 1899 9th Street NE, and 9th and V Street NE were all opened up. On Monday morning, a hydrant at 6th and H Street NE was opened up and thousands of gallons were unleashed—water ended up getting into the Whole Foods nearby, according to DC Water spokesperson Vince Morris, who was on the scene Monday.

The person who opened up the H Street NE fire hydrant was “dressed in a government outfit or as if he worked for the water company,” according to the incident report from the Metropolitan Police Department. The subject turned the fire hydrant on with a tool that looked like a wrench until the water pressure was so high cars could no longer get through, and then fled eastbound on foot, according to the report.

“It’s pretty bizarre,” Morris says. “We have no idea what this individual’s motivation is. It appears that they’ve turned multiple fire hydrants on with no regard for the safety of pedestrians or vehicles.”

The opening of fire hydrants is not just a nuisance for city government and businesses nearby, Morris adds. “If you open a lot of these hydrants, the water pressure might drop, so if there’s a fire happening nearby, you can have a situation where the pressure is not as strong as it should be,” he says. “This is a legitimate public safety issue.”

It appears that Northeast fire hydrants have not been the only target. Residents in Petworth have been reporting a man going around and opening up the water spigots in front of their homes throughout August. One of the incidents caused a basement to flood, according to the Petworth News.

Residents have also snapped photos of possibly the same man using a monkey wrench to open up fire hydrants in Petworth.

View image on Twitter

Morris says the agency has not been informed by D.C. police exactly how many people are responsible for the hydrants opened in Northeast this month, and if the incidents are related to the Petworth spigot/hydrant fiend. Morris says the Petworth character is “intent on sabotage, but until he is apprehended we won’t know if he is responsible for all of [the fire hydrant openings] or just some.”

MPD told DCist that they are looking into the situation and will release more details as the investigation goes on.