People walk past a trash can overflowing with empty water bottles during extreme heat in the Washington region, as the Great American State Fair on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., U.S., is temporarily closed due to heat, July 3, 2026. REUTERS/Cheney Orr TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
A reporter braving a blistering heat wave at President Donald Trump's Great American State Fair described chaos at the event as paramedics raced to save attendees, with seven said to be on "advanced life support" in the hospital.
Julian Andreone of Drop Site News was on the ground Friday at the fair detailing what he called a "hectic" scene.
"It really is hectic. It's chaotic. It's a total disaster," Andreone said. "They haven't planned for this at all."
As Andreone recorded the conditions, multiple people ran past carrying cold water to help their loved ones who had fainted. During one 71-second clip, Andreone recorded two people racing past him and an ambulance arriving separately with a siren blaring.
"People are profusely sweating and need water," he said.
Andreone reported in an X update that "7 people are on advanced life support in the hospital."
In another clip from the event, Andreone points to another person lying down in the back of an EMS truck making its way across the lawn. The event had already been temporarily shut down earlier in the day as the record heat gripped Washington, with organizers planning to reopen at 5 p.m.
Washington Post meteorologist Ben Noll noted on X that Washington, D.C., would be warmer than "99 percent of the planet on Friday."
"Only parts of Africa's Sahara Desert, the Middle East, China's Gobi Desert and a few spots in the Desert Southwest will be hotter," Noll noted.
The conditions have driven attendees to desperate measures, with one Trump supporter earlier dunking herself in a baptismal pool to escape the heat.
The post caught Andreone's eye.
"Great time for a poorly planned and shoddily constructed fair in a wide open field with no shade," he quipped.
His account matched what reporters found on the ground: a largely deserted fairground baking in triple-digit heat.
Update: 7 people are on advanced life support in the hospital.
Here’s a brief snippet of some of our Drop Site reporting from the ground, showing medical staff rushing to get people water and EMS crews driving around, one with a patient in the back on a gurney. https://t.co/PWu358OlbWpic.twitter.com/ItPx4W6yqE
— Julian Andreone (@JulianAndreone) July 3, 2026