Blocking access could be deadly in responding to a fire.

But did this New York City firefighter go too far?

The car is way too close to the hydrant, a clear violation.

Now look, the firefighter breaks the windows.

First the passenger's side, then the driver's side.

He then threads the fire hose through the car and attaches it to the hydrant.

They were fighting a major four alarm blaze in the Bronx that destroyed multiple businesses.

But did he have to break the windows?

On social media, opinion is mixed.

The owner deserves it.

How dare they put other lives at risk by blocking access to the hydrant.

But there was also this.

I am a firefighter, that was 100% unnecessary.

YouTube is loaded with cases where firefighters have no choice but to break car windows.

But those cars were directly in front of the hydrants.

In this case, could he have draped the hose over the hood of the car without impeding the flow of water?

We showed the video to Nassau County New York Fire Marshal Mike Utaro.

Time is of the essence for fires.

And when there's a vehicle or any obstruction to a hydrant, they have to overcome that obstruction.

I'm sure there's several different methodologies of what they could have done.

They chose that method.

And to be honest with you, I wouldn't second guess them.

So how close can you park to the fire hydrant without getting a ticket or having your windows smashed in?

Your vehicle must be 15 feet from the hydrant.

That is this far.

As for the owner of the car, reports say he's racked up 33 fire hydrant violations in the last two years.

Totaling more than $9,000.

Perhaps this individual had it coming to them.