Why Fire Hydrants Don’t Freeze and Burst During Winter

The fire hydrant that we know today traces its origins back to fire plugs. Water mains that transported fresh water in a city or town used to be made of hollowed out logs buried beneath the streets. Whenever there was a fire and firefighters needed water, they dug up the cobblestone street and drilled a hole into the wooden pipe. After they extinguished the fire, the firefighters put a plug in the hole—called a "fire plug"—before reburying the water main. The plug could then be removed and the same hole used if another fire occurred in the area, saving the drilling time.

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