Hmmm ... so lack of water pressure is the reason this home burnt to the ground. I thought one of the main purposes of city governments was to provide water services for the cities residents.

Looks like the Phoenix rulers are not doing that and as a result this home burnt to the ground.

Source

Paradise Valley home destroyed by fire

Lack of water pressure at site is blamed for inability to fight fire more efficiently

by Ofelia Madrid and Kasia Michalik - Feb. 18, 2011 12:00 AM

The Arizona Republic

A Paradise Valley family watched as their million-dollar home went up in flames Thursday and firefighters struggled to maintain sufficient water pressure to douse the fire.

It took Phoenix and Scottsdale firefighters more than two hours to put out the majority of the fire at the home, in the 6800 block of East Berneil Drive.

Fire officials confirmed water pressure was a problem.

"The pressure in the neighborhood is low compared to other cities," said Scott Walker, a Phoenix fire spokesman. "The fire is being put out, but in more conservative ways."

Firefighters had two hoses running water from hydrants to fight the fire but were unable to use full pressure on both sides at the same time, so instead had to alternate sides, officials said.

Firefighters were called to the one-story home around 1:30 p.m. Officials didn't know the cause of the fire, but a cabinet installer was refinishing cabinets in the home when the fire broke out, Walker said.

"It's a good possibility that the (refinishing) chemicals made the fire speed up," he said.

A worker was taken to the hospital with second-degree burns. A homeowner and her son were inside at the time of the fire but escaped unharmed, Walker said.

A Paradise Valley police officer was treated for smoke inhalation after he entered the home to check whether there was anyone else in the house, Walker said.

The homeowners, who declined a request for an interview, told firefighters the only thing they hoped to retrieve was a small grouping of family pictures from the Holocaust.

As neighbors watched the house's roof collapse, some said they weren't surprised there wasn't enough water pressure. They experience the lack of water pressure daily in the shower.

Neighbor Mary Babbini-Haase watched the flames in horror. The home's windows were broken and the garage caved in.

"This is terribly sad," she said. "Everything is gone. Their whole life is in ashes."

Councilwoman Pam Kirby, who is chairwoman of the town's water-utility committee, did not return a call seeking comment.

Don Ross, a systems operator with Berneil Water Co., confirmed that the water company served the Paradise Valley house. He would not comment further about the fire or water-pressure issues.

The town is served by two other water providers: Arizona American Water and Phoenix.

Republic reporter Philip Haldiman contributed to this article.