Dangerous heat shuts down the Great American State Fair
On the day the federal government observed the Independence Day holiday, organizers of the capital’s main attraction, the Great American State Fair, were forced to shut down the festivities over the heat in Washington, D.C.
The Freedom 250 social media page announced around 1 p.m. local time that the event is postponed until 5 p.m. because of the high temperatures and safety concerns.
“Due to the heat, and in coordination with public safety officials, the Great American State Fair will be temporarily closed until 5:00 p.m. today,” one of the posts read.
Straight Arrow’s senior politics reporter Azi Paybarah witnessed one woman collapse hours before the closure while he attended the event. He reported nearby people quickly helped her back to her feet, and noted many people were staying in the shade to avoid the large, unshaded grass between the main pavilions.
Event planners said complimentary water will be provided during the evening event. They also said some of the acts that were supposed to perform earlier in the day will now perform later in the evening. The event’s social media account posted a schedule update alongside the postponement announcement.
Power problems
Some air-conditioning units failed during Wednesday’s event as temperatures rose into the triple digits in the nation’s capital, according to a CNN segment in which host Tom Foreman reported the event was experiencing “intermittent power problems.”
“They’ve lost AC today, so much that the workers there simply left their stations and said, ‘Fend for yourself,'” Foreman said.
The Washington Post reported that Washington, D.C. was expected to be hotter than 99% of the rest of the world on Friday. Only some places in the African Sahara, Middle East and China’s Gobi Desert are forecasted to be hotter.
The temperatures residents in D.C. are feeling are similar to the deadly, record-breaking heat areas of Europe recently experienced. Officials in Europe reported at least 45 deaths during the heat wave, with drowning contributing to most of those deaths.
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
