Seems a bit arrogant of him, if so. What makes him think he can decide how such water is used? He must surely know what a fire hydrant is for? So what gives him the impression that he knows better than Metropolis's Fire Dept.?
Ok, it does seem OOC, I tried for a positive spin.
The Lawful Good aspect of Superman has always been his hallmark. but for the sake of argument,there is a streak of arrogance in Clark in the series, (rather understandable too), If he is sure that he can handle any potential fires with or without the fire department then his action might not be that strange for a naive good guy.
Another one of the villains supreme faith in Superman's ethics.
In "Don't tug on Superman's cape." we have Tim Lake's gleeful, "Ten seconds and counting" You wouldn't think Mr and Mrs Lake would be blown away too if Superman failed to comply. or that Superman could leave the cage anytime there is a choice between Miss Lane and hundreds of people trapped in the wake of a volcano or whatever.
The Lakes have everything, yet are willing to gamble it all away ,for fun, on their abilty to second guess Superman.
