'Mass casualty incident' declared in Pennsylvania due to heat illnesses

A "mass casualty incident" was declared at a Pennsylvania event on July 2 due to heat illnesses impacting dozens of attendees, according to multiple local reports.

Local authorities told ABC27 and Fox29 that more than 100 people needed medical treatment at the event at the Reading and Blue Mountain Railroad Outer Station in Berks County, where crowds gathered to see the world's largest operating steam locomotive, Union Pacific's Big Boy, on its nationwide tour.

ABC27 and UPI reported that dozens of attendees were also transported to local hospitals for further assistance, including someone who went into cardiac arrest and was resuscitated.

The local temperatures that day reached 106 degrees, according to multiple outlets.

The "mass casualty incident" declaration was made to prompt emergency resources, the outlets added.

"The coordinated response by local, county, and regional public safety partners demonstrated the effectiveness of mutual aid cooperation and the commitment of emergency responders to protecting the public during a large-scale emergency incident," Randall Hoover, police chief of Berks County's Muhlenberg Township, said in a July 2 statement obtained by ABC27.

USA TODAY has reached out to the Town of Muhlenberg, Union Pacific and the railroad station for comment.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Mass casualty incident' declared in Pennsylvania due to heat illnesses

Reporting by Sara Moniuszko, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect

This story was originally published July 3, 2026 at 12:36 PM.