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The California State Fair suspends horse racing and changes the schedule of cattle shows
Livestock shows and competitions at the California State Fair have been suspended or adjusted to protect animal welfare as extreme heat gripped the state.
Most of the shows have been moved to the morning hours to protect themselves from the extreme heat, fair organizers said on Twitter on Friday. Horse racing events were also suspended for the opening weekend of the fair.
The fair in Sacramneto showcases a variety of farm animals from around the state, including beef and dairy cattle, pygmy and angora goats, and alpacas and llamas.
Winning animals earn attractive prizes for farmers and breeders at ceremonial “champion sale” events.
Extreme heat is the number one weather-related killer
Extreme heat “is the leading weather-related cause of death in the US,” the National Weather Service said Saturday, adding that excessive heat warnings and advisories have been implemented in 10 states in the South and West. .
“It is particularly dangerous for those without access to water or shade,” the service said.
California, Nevada, Arizona, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, most of Texas, southern New Mexico and eastern Oklahoma have been placed under heat advisories, and a heat wave is likely to peak on Sunday in much of the region, he added.
The service warned that dangerous heat is likely to continue into next week, with all-time heat records likely to be broken in parts of the Southwest. Phoenix is likely to post its hottest week on record by 7-day average temperatures, he added.
Southern California firefighters battle 3 wildfires
Southern California firefighters were battling three separate wildfires that started Friday afternoon amid a searing heat wave.
The fires raged within a 40-mile radius of each other, mostly in rural areas of Riverside County, southeast of Los Angeles.
Nearly 1,000 homes were under evacuation orders, but there were no immediate reports of injuries or property loss, according to officials with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, known as Cal Fire.
Two of the fires had stopped spreading overnight. However, the third grew at a “rapid pace” to more than 2 square miles in a matter of hours, Cal Fire said in a social media post.
Hundreds of firefighters were dispatched.
