MEDIA CONTACT: Mark E. Brady, Chief Spokesperson, 240-508-7930
Event organizers at the Prince George’s County Fair ordered
an evacuation of the fairgrounds as strong storms were approaching the Upper
Marlboro area. At about 4:30 pm,
Saturday, September 8, estimated crowds of 400 to 500 patrons were heeding
orders to evacuate the infield area of the Equestrian Center and to make their
way to the nearby Showplace Arena for shelter.
The crowd started to converge to the one exit closest to the Showplace
Arena. Congestion at the exit of the
infield and the entrance to the arena occurred causing some people to
panic. In the rush to exit, some people
fell to the ground and sustained injuries as the crowd continued to push
through the exit and into the arena.
As the evacuation was still in progress, the storm was now
starting to enter the area bringing heavy rains and high winds further
complicating the evacuation. Several
volunteer firefighters were at the fair and immediately went to aid the
injured. As they surveyed the crowds looking
for anyone injured, the number of people claiming injury grew to about 12 and
additional emergency medical resources were summoned to the scene. Firefighters moved the injured people into an
empty hallway and initiated a triage process whereas the injuries were categorized
with the most serious being treated and transported first. A Mass Casualty Incident was declared and
several ambulances, paramedics units, Medical Ambulance Bus and incident
commanders responded to the scene. There
were about 25 personnel on the scene that had all patients triaged, treated and
transported within 20 minutes of the storms arrival.
Of the 12 patrons treated on the scene, 4 required
transportation to the hospital by medics.
A young girl experienced an asthma attack and three others sustained
bumps/bruises and sprains/strains. All
injuries were non-life threatening and all patients were in good condition. The remaining 8 patients declined
transportation to the hospital. The
County Fair remained closed for the remainder of Saturday.
Two volunteer chiefs from the Upper Marlboro Volunteer Fire
Department were on site when the evacuation was ordered and when the storm hit. During the height of the storm the
firefighters received information that some patrons at the far end of the
infield were not able to exit and were seeking shelter. The chiefs drove their command vehicles over
to that area and found 9 people that were exposed to the rain and wind. The nine were put into the two chiefs
vehicles and taken over to the Showplace Arena to be checked by medics.
Some equipment at the County Fair sustained minor
damage. One tent was knocked down and
some others sustained minor wind damage.
Damages were being repaired and readied for opening tomorrow. Staff conducted an assessment of the rides
and other displays located in the infield area and were deemed OK. The County Fair organizers stated that the
County Fair would be open for business on Sunday.
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| Emergency equipment line the front driveway of the Showplace Arena in Upper Marlboro after a powerful storm caused the evacuation of the County Fair. 12 patrons were treated on the scene with four of them transported to area hospital with non-life threatening illness/injuries. (M.E. Brady)
View more videos at: http://nbcwashington.com.
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