BRISTOL, Rhode Island (WBZ-AM) -- It was Bristol's 233rd Fourth of July Parade--but temperatures soared into the 90s, and some fifty marchers and spectators had to be treated for heat exhaustion. Authorities declared a mass casualty incident due to the number of patients they had to treat.
Frank Barchella is with the Saints Brigade Drum and Bugle Corps of Port Chester, New York. He told WBZ-TV, "It's not easy. You've got tons of gear on, you gotta push through. We're paid to entertain, and it's not pretty, but we make it happen."
The Saints' Brigade then packed up and marched in a second parade in Norwood--where it was so hot that an annual 5K race set for before the parade was cancelled.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Doug Cope (@dcopewbz) reports