Blz: Spit on the flames

[W]ater ... used to put out fires ... according to city fire service officials, it's becoming dangerously scarce....
...
When firemen rush to the scene of a burning building, their primary concern is to put the flames out and prevent the blaze from spreading. That is why circumstances surrounding selected water sources, like this one at the foot of the swing bridge in Belize City, are of particular concern to the Fire Department.

Assistant Fire Chief Ted Smith says while it’s a strategic location, recent developments have rendered this facility practically useless to fire fighters.
...
"You can see the food vendors have a stall that extended out to obstruct the passage way, there is an electrical line just above our heads which is lower that the height that is necessary to clear the fire truck, then we have here a vehicle parked within the designated fire water head area. And therefore you can see a number of obstructions and difficulties that would face us."

While there was little they could do to save the Paslow Building two years ago, Smith says this open water source was not accessible to fire trucks at the time because of the obstruction. That was despite a sign posted in front, designating the area as a water head. But exactly what constitutes a water head?
...
Over on the other end of North Front Street, firefighters would drop their hoses at the mouth of the river in the event of a fire in the Fort George area; but gaining access to this public area would depend on a watchman opening the gates. And even so, debris from the nearby cooperative is a potential hindrance to fire trucks getting close enough to the waters edge to pump water.
...
Vital time and energy that would be best used to actually fight the fire. In the case of the recent blaze at the Simon Quan warehouse, Smith says the Department had to use the Angelus Press parking lot to get to the river.