Then, “subsequent factor you recognize, the wind picked up, and took the tent with it”. He described them as a “young gentleman” and a “young girl”, but declined to give their ages, saying their families were still being notified.
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State Fire Marshal William Degnan said at a briefing late Monday that the injured were taken to four regional hospitals. He said the circus operator did not file a “place of assembly permit” with the town.
State officials are waiting to speak with Florida-based Walker Brothers, Degnan said, as the company consults with its attorneys. “At this point, I’m just waiting to hear from them”. The storm blew through at 5:46 p.m., with about 100 people inside the tent. Organizers ended the ultimate day of the pageant 30 minutes early Sunday night time when one other storm hit the world.
Spectators helped evacuate the wounded, he said.
State police said around 250 people attended the Lancaster Fairgrounds to watch a show from the Walker Brothers Circus.
“It’s obviously a tragic incident, and we hope people can learn from this”, National Weather Service spokeswoman Margaret Curtis said.
The storm moved in quickly with winds reaching up to 60 miles an hour. Government agencies are monitoring the condition closely. “We don’t know why they were going on at that time and what they knew”.
But Degnan said he couldn’t immediately provide more details about the Lancaster inspection. The scene was total chaos according to witnesses as the windswept tent pulled up its mooring poles, with one of those poles clipping a 4-year-old child in the head.
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The state fire marshal’s office said it had begun an investigation into what caused the collapse. Degnan said autopsies were being conducted Tuesday.
