Crews Need Police Escort To Shut Off Fire Hydrants

CBS Chicago
WBBM News


Kids play in the spray of water from an open fire hydrant on the South Side on July 21, 2011. (Credit: CBS)

CHICAGO (CBS) — City crews scrambling to turn off nearly 2,000 fire hydrants opened by residents seeking relief from the heat required a police escort to protect them from gang members and others upset with the shutdowns.

CBS 2 found one city crew being followed by a police sport-utility vehicle as they crisscrossed neighborhoods, turning off a total of 1,921 hydrants.

“It’s a waste of water, and I have to do my job,â€