NEW DELHI: Several people were hospitalised due to heat exhaustion in Phoenix, Arizona while waiting in line for an event featuring former President Donald Trump, the Phoenix Fire Department responded to the event held at Dream City Church in north Phoenix and sent 11 people to the hospital as reported by The Hill citing ABC15.
The Phoenix National Weather Service recorded temperatures reaching 110 degrees Fahrenheit on Thursday for the first time this year, later tying the daily record high of 111 degrees set in 2016.The region is expected to experience the season’s first heat wave following an exceptionally warm summer last year.
Videos and photos shared online depicted several people fainting and requiring medical attention due to the extreme heatwave, as reported by The Hill.
Turning Point Action, a youth-oriented conservative group, sponsored the event to increase voter turnout by promoting early and mail-in voting, a concept previously opposed by Trump. The Arizona Republic noted that this was the second time the former president visited the Dream City Church.
In June 2020, Trump held an indoor event at the church, his second public gathering since the start of the COVID-19 quarantine. The Republic reported that church officials incorrectly claimed the installation of air purification systems capable of killing “99.9%” of COVID-19 within 10 minutes. It was also reported that at least eight of Trump’s campaign staffers tested positive after his 2020 Tulsa, Oklahoma event, which took place days before the first Dream City Church rally.
Recent polling suggests that Trump leads President Biden by 3.3 percentage points in Arizona.
(With inputs from agencies)
