3 students hospitalized after Riverside track meet as IE battles 'summer that never ends'
RIVERSIDE, Calif. - A late season heat wave continues across Southern California, leading to extreme heat warnings from the San Fernando Valley to the Inland Empire, and the hospitalization of several middle school students running at a local track meet.
"It’s hot," said one resident in Riverside. "There’s no better way to explain it. It’s hot."
Temperatures Wednesday in Riverside soared close to 110 degrees.
"It’s Riverside," said another resident. "It’s the summer that never ends."
On Tuesday, the extreme heat led to three middle school students sustaining heat-related sicknesses during a track meet at Ben Clark Training Center.
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The three students were taken to area hospitals but, according to the race organizer, they’re expected to be okay.
"They were all individuals that crossed the line after they ran their two-mile race and collapsed a little bit," said Eric Reynolds, a cross-country coach at Woodcrest Christian School.
According to Reynolds, he organized Tuesday’s race like he had the previous 15 years.
"We’ve run in hotter [weather] without any incident," said Reynolds.
Reynolds told FOX 11 that he warned coaches from other schools about the heat ahead of Tuesday’s meet.
"I had let all 80 schools know: these are the conditions, it’s hot," said Reynolds. "You know your athletes. Please make the decision that’s best for you and your athletes."
In the San Bernardino National Forest, the massive Line Fire has grown to nearly 44,000 acres. Recent hot, dry weather has fueled flare-ups. Containment, once at 83 percent, now sits at 79 percent.
"With the topography, the heat, and the fuel, the brush was ready to burn," said Cal Fire Battalion Chief Brent Pascua. "It was the perfect combination to have this fire start making runs again."
The high temperatures are expected to drop slightly on Thursday and Friday, before soaring again this weekend.