Five people were taken to hospitals because they suffered heat-related illnesses after a concert at D.C.’s Nationals Park on Monday night, authorities said. The K-pop stars Stray Kids performed.
D.C. Fire and EMS responded to the area of the ballpark at about 11 p.m. for reports of multiple heat-related illnesses, the department said. Five people were taken to hospitals. Another person was taken to a hospital for treatment before the concert.
Stray Kids performed in intense heat, an NBC employee in attendance said. As the show began, a member of the group told people in the crowd to stay hydrated and speak up if they felt sick. The performance was paused twice, including once before the end of a song. A performer said he wanted to give the crowd a “break.”
Eventually, a speaker on the public address system announced the concert would end early for safety reasons.
D.C. has been coping with dangerous heat, with high temperatures of about 100°. With the heat index, it feels even hotter.
D.C. Fire and EMS crews have responded to more than two dozen calls for heat-related illnesses since Sunday night, during “two of the busiest days” of the entire year, Chief John Donnelly said live on News4 on Tuesday morning.
“My advice is: Stay hydrated, stay in the shade, get around the pool and look out for your neighbors,” he said.
Stray Kids performed at Nats Park as part of their world tour. They recently won favorite music group at the 2025 Kids’ Choice Awards, alongside stars including Sabrina Carpenter and Bruno Mars. The group’s song “Hollow” is in the top 10 on the World Digital Song Sales chart, Forbes reports.
An official from Nats Park said the concert was paused briefly at 9:45 p.m. for a water break before the announcement was made at 10:30 p.m. that the show was ending early.
The official said cooling centers were available in two rooms at the ballpark, and water filling stations were located throughout the park. The park also had mist fans and regular cooling fans in several areas, the official said.
Two sisters from Arizona who waited in line for nearly two hours to see the sound check before the concert — part of their VIP ticket perks — said the extreme heat took its toll even before they got inside. That toll was increased, they said, because there wasn’t enough water to handle the extremely dehydrating conditions.
“They didn’t have anyone coming by, like, offering water. Like zero water. Zero,” said one of the sisters, both of whom asked to stay anonymous.
“She was actually about to pass out, so I went and I was calling for a medic, like, ‘We need a medic now, my sister is about to pass out,'”
The sister said one medic finally arrived, but there was still no water.
“I asked him, ‘Are they not giving you guys water?’ and he was like, ‘Well so many people have been passing out from the heat, we haven’t had time to go back and restock,'” one of the young women said.
They added that, once inside, some concessions stands ran out of water. Other vendors were selling water for $10 a bottle.
As the concert wore on, the two sisters said, people around them started getting ill, suffering from the extreme heat.
“People were passing out in the pits, like, throwing up and screaming for medics and water,” one of the sisters said.
Despite the extreme heat and tough conditions, the two sisters say, the Stray Kids performance was great.
People in many parts of the U.S. are coping with punishing heat. More than 100 people received treatment and some were taken to the hospital after falling ill on Monday at two outdoor graduation ceremonies in Paterson, New Jersey, authorities said. A Cincinnati Reds shortstop and Seattle Mariners reliever got sick Saturday while playing in the extreme heat.
News4 is working to learn more about what happened. Stay with us for updates on this developing story.
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