BARRE, Vt. (WCAX) – The city of Barre found an old-fashioned way to help residents beat the heat this week, opening up the spigot on fire hydrants.
The fire hydrant on Bergeron St. was cranking Tuesday with local kids coming to cool off.
“It’s really fun. I mean, I enjoy the water. I mean, we haven’t been able to get out and go swimming recently so this is fun,” said Emmalee Zampieri of Barre.
“Awesome running through the water. Yes, it’s very hot in our house, very hot,” added Ayla Dentoa.
City officials opened up four fire hydrants across the city, the first time they’ve done it in at least two decades.
“It brings me back to my childhood and enjoying the days immediately following the start of school vacation. So, what a way to kick off the school vacation for the youth — to have an enjoyable day like today,” said Barre Fire Chief Keith Cushman.
And it wasn’t just for the kids. “I am originally from Virginia, so we did stuff like this on real hot summer days. So, it’s really nice to see kids up here getting to experience that,” said Jaquan Johnson of Barre. “My neighbor Emmalee, came and knocked on the door. She’s like, ‘Yo, the fire hydrant is on.’ And I’m like, ‘Let’s go, what are we waiting for?’”
The city expects to open up hydrants through Thursday.