ANSONIA -- Firefighters battled a two-alarm house fire Tuesday morning, but could have started sooner, had they been able to find a working fire hydrant.
The second alarm fire happened on 19 Hubbell Avenue shortly after 11 a.m. The family was displaced, but everyone got out safely.
When they arrived, firefighters ran into a major issue; they connected their hose to the closet hydrant only to find out it didn't work.
They then had to rush to find the next closest hydrant.
This caused a seven minute delay in putting out the fire.
"Every minute counts," said David Cassetti, mayor of Ansonia. Cassetti said the bottom level of the home is unoccupied and the upper level was home to a family of five.
The mayor said the town spends almost $350,000 each year to the regional water company to conduct regular tests on the hydrants.
People in the neighborhood said they did not even know a hydrant wasn't working until FOX 61 informed them.
"You never know what can happen if you don't have the fire hydrant connected or it don't work. It could be devastating on either sides, so that is a very big concern not only with that family but it could've been my family," said Damon Mercer of Ansonia.
The mayor said the hydrant should be fixed within the next couple of days.
"It's very important that we get the water as quickly as possible," added Mayor Cassetti.
The home on 19 Hubbell Avenue will be demolished and the mayor said he has ordered a meeting with the regional water company to make sure this does not happen again.
