As temperatures reached 97 degrees Fahrenheit in Colorado Springs on Aug. 8, breaking a 57-year-old daily record, attendees at a music festival held at Blocktickets Park felt the heat.
More than 70 people in attendance at the Tacos and Tequila Festival were treated for heat-related illnesses, including at least seven who were hospitalized after “experiencing serious symptoms of dehydration and/or intoxication,” according to the Colorado Springs Fire Department, which declared the festival a “mass casualty” event.
The festival-goers were among a record number of Coloradans who sought medical treatment for heat-related illnesses this summer, amid unprecedented extreme heat fueled by climate change — a trend that’s projected to continue to intensify for years to come, as governments around the world struggle to curb the greenhouse gas emissions pushing global temperatures higher and higher…