With unfilled parking spaces and dozens of empty picnic tables, you'd never know it was the Fourth of July inside Northeast Fresno's Woodward Park.
The heat didn't stop Cherri Porter and her friends from celebrating the holiday outside. They arrived at Central Fresno's Roeding Park around 9 a.m. to find a shaded area.
"We knew it was going to be like 106, 107. But, we came out anyway, you know to have a good time," Porter said.
Nearby, a family also found comfort in the shade. They also made sure to bring plenty of water, something the kids took full advantage of.
In Northeast Fresno, kids beat the heat in a backyard swimming pool.
Meanwhile, in front of the home, parents all over the neighborhood organized a block party complete with canopies, a blow up water slide, and plenty of other amenities to stay cool.
"A lot of dollar store stuff. Water balloons, you know, squirt guns. It's neat to get all the neighbors together," Larry Sanders said.
Paramedic Sheila Hughes says it's nice to see people taking extra precautions. During triple digit temperatures, she usually responds to a number of heat related calls, including exhaustion and heat stroke. But, as of noon Monday the call volume was minimal.
Nevertheless, American Ambulance has extra crews working this holiday just in case.
"We have a unit that's going to be standing by at Freedom Fest later on today and then we did put a couple extra cars on preparing for the possibility of rescues or the heat emergencies," Hughes said.
Senior citizens and children are the most vulnerable to heat related injuries. So, make sure they get plenty of rest and water as the heat wave continues.
