St Joseph Fire Department crews had their hands full in the 2400 block of South 16th Street Tuesday afternoon.

What started as a “check for trouble” and a “9-1-1 hang up” became a “debris fire” and then finally a fully-involved “structure fire.”  Crews were hampered putting out the fire by a malfunctioning or broken fire hydrant.  The house is about three blocks from a fire station.

At least one person was checked out by paramedics.  It was not immediately known if the woman was taken to the hospital.  She was talking with paramedics at the scene.

Crews removed a section of the roof to gain access to the rear of the home at 2404 S. 16th, and once they secured a water source, were able to aggressively fight the blaze.

A fire investigator was expected at the scene.

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