When Paris is Underwater: France Battles Dangerous Hydrant Parties

When the heatwave sweeps over France and the asphalt in the suburbs of Paris shimmers, some streets suddenly turn into makeshift water parks. Children scream while running through towering fountains, teenagers film the scene on their phones, neighbors sit on camping chairs by the roadside. For a brief moment, everything feels like a summer festival right in the middle of the big city. But behind these spectacular images lies a problem that is increasingly making authorities nervous. With every new heatwave in France, so-called "street pooling" reappears. Hydrants—the famous "bouches ...