Every year in the United States, there are nearly 1.5 million fires, ranging from small localized ones to massive national fire disasters - like the one that recently occurred in California. Almost every fire is investigated by a commission to determine the cause, and, unfortunately, human negligence is often the cause.
No, it's not just a careless smoker who missed a trash can. Sometimes, firefighters arrive on time but can't immediately begin extinguishing the blaze simply because a fire hydrant is blocked by a parked car. This is what happened, for example, to a neighbor of the user u/whenspidersbleed, the narrator of our story today.
More info: Reddit
No one is allowed to park their vehicles in front of fire hydrants as this could actually cost people's lives, but this rule is sometimes neglected
Image credits: onemtask / Freepik (not the actual photo)
The author of the post has a neighbor — quite an ill-mannered guy — who has an annoying habit of regularly leaving his huge car by the hydrant
Image credits: whenspidersbleed
Image credits: Erik Mclean / Unsplash (not the actual photo)
That man usually behaves rudely, walking his aggressive dog unleashed or shooting off fireworks long after midnight - and he won’t listen to reasoning
Image credits: whenspidersbleed
Image credits: EyeEm / Freepik (not the actual photo)
Recently, the author found the neighbor’s car parked in front of the fire hydrant again, and resorted to action
Image credits: whenspidersbleed
Image credits: freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)
The man called the police and reported illegal parking - so the officer soon arrived and issued the neighbor tickets, demanding he move his car immediately
Image credits: whenspidersbleed
Image credits: Jonathan Reynaga / Pexels (not the actual photo)
The car, however, didn’t start for some reason, so after numerous fruitless efforts, the neighbor had to cough up the tow as well
Image credits: whenspidersbleed
The author believes it was a nice try to wean the neighbor off this annoying and actually life-threatening habit
I want to clarify right away that this story took place many years ago, and since then, some regulations regarding blocking access to fire hydrants have become significantly stricter. But this doesn't change the fact that the Original poster's (OP) neighbor was an entitled and rude guy, who repeatedly walked his aggressive dog unleashed, shot off fireworks after midnight, and simply brushed off any attempts to reason with him.
This guy also developed a nasty habit of parking his Chevy Silverado right outside the author's house, regularly blocking access to the fire hydrant and sometimes even partially blocking the OP's driveway as well. This was in Texas, so our hero had reasonable concerns about fire safety. But any talks, alas, weren't fruitful...
And so, returning home one evening, the author found the neighbor's car parked in the same spot again, and the trash can that the OP sometimes placed there to prevent him from parking had been carelessly pushed onto the sidewalk. The author also saw the neighbor and his friends coming into his house with numerous cans of beer. Well, a noisy party is the perfect excuse to ruin it with some petty revenge!
Our hero called the police and reported the illegal parking. A short time later, a police officer arrived, issued the neighbor two tickets — for illegal parking and for blocking a fire hydrant — and ordered him to immediately remove the car. However, the vehicle wouldn't start for some reason, and after half an hour of fussing, the drinking buddies had to call a tow truck. Petty revenge had been accomplished!
Image credits: EyeEm / Freepik (not the actual photo)
It's no wonder the original poster was so concerned about fire safety - after all, the story described took place after the devastating Texas wildfire season of 2011, marked by severe drought and heavy economic impact. The National Weather Service notes that serious fires occurred throughout the whole area.
Accordingly, the Stephens Law website states that in Texas, everyone is restricted from parking or even stopping vehicles within 15 feet of any fire hydrant. The only exception to this rule is when a driver quickly picks up or drops off a passenger. But that certainly doesn't apply to the story we're describing.
As for the financial consequences, a violation can actually cost from $25 to over $200. Additionally, significant towing and storage fees should be added if the violator's car is impounded, which can, in fact, add hundreds more. Well, the neighbor's vehicle wasn't impounded, but he still had to pay for towing and, most likely, repairs.
Many people in the comments recalled similar cases from their own life experiences and thanked the author for a wonderful story, brilliantly illustrating the very principle of instant karma. "Some people really are in their own little world that revolves around them," one responder wrote. "Thanks for bringing him back to reality!" So what's your opinion on this tale, dear readers?
Most commenters on the post praised the author for such a reasonable petty revenge plan, and shared their own similar stories
