Cities and towns across Maine have opened cooling centers today as oppressive heat blankets the state.
And in Portland, workers fanned out across the city to check on unhoused individuals.
"We're trying to reach out to them, see what their immediate needs are, see if they'll accept some cool water, and try to direct them to the cooling center," said Maggie McLaughlin, the city's health and human services director.
She said the unhoused population is among those most at risk during extreme heat events.
Portland's downtown library is open as a cooling center until 6 p.m. today.
Meanwhile, as the temperature pushed 100 degrees, some parents in the Portland area brought their kids to a splash pad in Deering Oaks Park to cool off.
Six-year-old Isla McGachan was visiting Maine from Ohio with her family, and spent some time splashing around with her younger brother.
"We have been playing in the water and seeing how deep the water can get," she said, adding that the water got "a little more deeper than I thought it would."
Hundreds of kids at summer camp at the Saco Community Center got to keep cool with a new splash pad that opened in May.
Rec Director Ryan Summer said the Biddeford Rotary Club raised funds, and local businesses did the plumbing, electrical and site work to keep the cost to taxpayers low.
"The facility is open seven days a week 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. There's public bathrooms and with the water it's a great place to bring the kids, the grandkids, the grandparents and all that," he said.
Sommer said plash pads don't need a lifeguard and the water is recirculated to keep the water bills down.
An extreme heat warning is in effect until 8 p.m. today for much of southern, central, and western Maine. Coastal and northeastern parts of the state are under a heat advisory.
Temperatures are forecast to cool off as the week goes on.
