There is a reason why citizens are told not to park in front of fire hydrants: The time taken to get around or through those cars can cause the sort of timely delays that can get other people killed.

Depending on the situation, it can also leave you having to pay for costly repairs to your vehicle.

Luckily for the inconsiderate BMW owner who blocked a hydrant, he won’t have to foot the bill for his selfish error.

Firefighters battling an eight alarm blaze in the neighborhood in Boston, Mass. were forced to smash his windows in order to get a line through to the hydrant.

The fire caused an estimated $750,000 in damages and displaced nearly three dozen residents. The source of the fire is thought to be an SUV engine fire.

The blaze came merely days after the burial of a Boston firefighter who lost his life fighting a similar blaze.

Things you should never do: Park in front of a fire hydrant. This BMW learned the hard way. http://t.co/F2OdzGrCh7 pic.twitter.com/pn3jUELPqN

— Laura J. Nelson (@laura_nelson) April 10, 2014

Because the damage to the BMW is covered and the fine is a meager $100, some residents feel that the owner should have been hit with a stiffer punishment.

Boston fire spokesman Steve MacDonald is not convinced that a bigger fine would have made much of a difference.

He said, “I don’t think [the money] is a deterrent to anyone. Sometimes people do stupid things.”

In other words, if someone is going to do something as idiotic as park next to a fire hydrant and block access for fire fighters trying to do their job, odds are it’s because of a personality quirk.

That didn’t stop annoyed citizens from taking to social media websites to abuse the hapless car owner.

Whoever owns that BMW that parked in front of the fire hydrant yesterday should just move to Canada. Seriously. Like, now.

— Danielle WAAF (@DanielleWAAF) April 10, 2014

so how bout that bmw with the fire hose running through it? http://t.co/yEBsiIFZXQ

— OatmealBlisters (@MLG_Juicy_Pants) April 11, 2014

No, we're not kidding. Don't block fire hydrants. I'd say the owner of said "new car" got off easy. I probably… http://t.co/7BGyaLLIWw

— Charles (@CTM_3) April 12, 2014

For what it’s worth the guy had allegedly only owned the car a couple of days ahead of the incident. One witness saw him sitting near the curb with his head in his hands.

Hopefully the harrowing and stupid experience will at the very least encourage him to obey parking laws in the future.

Do you think fire hydrant parking violations should come with stiffer fines? Comment below!

Image via YouTube