Heat has people looking for ways to cool off

SEATTLE — Fans and air conditioning units are getting harder to find as this heat wave stretches on.

McLendon Hardware in Renton got a shipment today, customers grabbed them up immediately.

In Wallingford at Stoneway Hardware there was one lonely fan left, a 6-inch desk fan.

Customer Richard Billingham told us he "was looking for something a little more substantial."

He'll be in luck if he checks back Tuesday morning. The store is expecting a shipment of 70-80 fans from its warehouse in Oregon.

The fans arrive at 10:30 a.m. and the store expects customers to line up.

The hot weather had people looking for ways to cool off. Heading to the movie theater was a popular way to cool down.

The Kirley family headed to "Monster's Inc.," not just for the entertainment value, but for the air conditioning.

Tess Kirley was probably the member of her family who would get the best night of rest. Her mom, Megan Kirley, said, "Tess is lucky because she confiscated the one fan we own, it's in her bedroom."

Other families looking to beat the heat found local spray parks. Ballard Commons was crowded with children on Monday night.

MaryAnn Krizsan brought her girls to get wet and cool off. Their house was plenty warm. Krizsan said, "Our upstairs is pretty volcanic, but we have a lot of fans."

It wasn't just people looking to cool down; the University Bridge required an hourly soaking to protect the expanding metal. Workers flushed it with water hoping to protect the metal span from damage.

Heat buckled sidewalks and roads. In Arlington, Smokey Point Boulevard was shut down Monday night due to damage. In Everett, along Airport Road, more than half a dozen hazard signs marked buckled sidewalks.

KIRO