UPDATE (3:43 p.m. on Tuesday, May 9): Mayor Amy Goodwin released a statement about the plan to make sure the neighborhood where the fire took place has working fire hydrants.

“Today we discussed with West Virginia American Water (WVAW) their plan to fix the fire hydrant issues in the Chester Road area. While WVAW works to fix these fire hydrants, the Charleston Fire Department has a plan in place to ensure residents have proper fire protection coverage. We appreciate that the Kanawha County Commission has provided a fire engine that is equipped with 1,000 gallons of water, which has been located to Station 2 on Washington Street. We also appreciate the City of Dunbar, the West Virginia National Guard, and our City Street Department for having additional water resources available,” Mayor Goodwin said. “The Charleston Fire Department has trained and planned for scenarios like this and is confident in their fire protection coverage. We will continue to work with WVAW to ensure fire hydrants throughout the City are operating properly. We are thankful for the continued hard work of the Charleston Fire Department, our emergency services partners across the region, and our entire city team and Council Member Jeanine Faegre for her efforts to ensure residents’ voices are heard.”

CHARLESTON, WV (WOWK) – Homeowners in Charleston’s Edgewood neighborhood are worried after a Friday night fire destroyed a home where multiple fire hydrants did not work properly.

Firefighters say three fire hydrants closest to the home had very low water flow, making it very difficult to put the flames out. The damage was so severe that the building was demolished on Saturday, under 24 hours following the start of the fire.

Experts say fire hydrants should be inspected at least once a year and that flow tests should be performed once every five years. It is uncertain the last time checks were conducted in Edgewood.

Neighbors such as Sue McKalip say they felt safe to see the fire department come to the scene on Friday night, but became concerned when they noticed the department’s hoses kept running out of water.

“It’s scary,” McKalip said. “And if something would happen to one of the other houses…And to be perfectly honest, if these fire hydrants are in this condition, what are the other fire hydrants throughout the city? What do they look like? I would be concerned as anyone anywhere in the city of Charleston.”

In a statement, Charleston Mayor Amy Goodwin called the lack of water unacceptable and pointed the finger at West Virginia American Water for the issue. 13 News reached out to the company for comment, but they said they would not comment at this time.