Big duh: Don't block fire hydrants

Call this the mother of no-brainers: If there is a fire hydrant in front of your home or business, don't hide it.

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At least you'd think that's a no-brainer. But there were Martinez-Columbia Fire Rescue firefighters last weekend, frantically hunting a hydrant on the 800 block of Sparkleberry Drive in Evans as a fire roared through the roof of a home down the street.

They finally found the hydrant hidden inside a manicured patch of shrubbery - whose branches then made it tougher to hook up a hose.

That nearby home was heavily damaged in the blaze. We'll never know if the time spent hunting the fire plug would have saved it, but when every second counts, it's likely the home received more damage because the hydrant was hidden.

Fire officials rightly are adamant: Keep shrubbery, fences, garbage, vehicles and other objects away from hydrants. The home that hydrant helps save might be your own.

Seriously. It's a no-brainer.