JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – JXN Water hasn’t evaluated half of Jackson’s fire hydrants more than two years after taking responsibility for the inspections, a 3 On Your Side investigation has found.
The water authority has inspected only around 4,400 of the city’s 10,000 hydrants, according to information interim third-party manager Ted Henifin provided to a federal judge last month. More than 700 hydrants couldn’t be found, and 360 didn’t work.
The inspection gaps became apparent during a fire at Last Call Sports and Grill a week ago. Jackson firefighters struggled to find a working hydrant for several minutes, according to dispatch audio obtained by WLBT.
Fire crews request backup water supply
“Engine 19 to Engine 7, are y’all already on the plug? The plug that we got right here is dry,” a firefighter said in the dispatch audio…