Among those who work outside, air conditioning repairmen may be among the most appreciated. Bobby Morris with Vern's Heating and Air Conditioning kept busy Wednesday, as air conditioners failed on the hottest day of the year. "People are in dire need of your service, and they're really grateful to see you, so it feels good ... but then again, you're out in the heat all day, and that's no fun," said Morris.
Diana Hartman of Clovis woke up to find out her air conditioner had stopped working overnight. "When I first called Vern's, my first question wasn't, 'how much do you cost?', it was, 'how fast can you get here?'" said Hartman.
The heat and poor air quality also led valley schools to modify school activities. In Clovis Unified, students on Clark Intermediate's cross country team ran at six o'clock a.m. instead of their normal after school practice.
In Fresno Unified, students at Bullard Talent spent their entire lunch period indoors during the first 'red flag' day of the year. "I'd rather be outside, playing with my friends, but watching a movie is good, too," said third grader Brynna Jones.
