This weekend the National Mall in DC hosted a dramatic July 4 celebration in honor of the nation’s 250th—complete with a storm evacuation and weather delays, fireworks billed as the largest ever (which blanketed the city with smoke and unhealthy air), and heat-related closures. Fox 5 DC reported that first responders had almost 700 patient interactions on the Mall for heat-related emergencies.
Nevertheless, the party didn’t stop. People decked out in red, white, and blue turned out to celebrate, to watch the daytime flyovers, and to simply survive the heat. President Trump finally took to the stage for his speech at 11:15 PM, and the fireworks started just before midnight—and were occasionally punctuated by lightning bolts in the sky. Here are some photos from the day’s events by staff photographer Evy Mages.
