Circus Tent Collapse Kills 2 During Storm In New Hampshire

By Bill Chappell / NPR

Published August 4, 2015 at 2:31 AM PDT

This story was published more than 9 years ago.

Officials are investigating the cause of a tent collapse that killed two people and injured more than a dozen others.

A man and a girl were killed while watching a traveling circus show Monday evening, after a strong storm dislodged the circus tent's poles. Officials are now working to figure out what went wrong at the fairgrounds in Lancaster, N.H.

"We lost two lives – a father and a daughter – at an event that was supposed to be fun," Gov. Maggie Hassan tells local TV station WMUR.

At least a dozen people were injured in the collapse, which came during a storm that brought hail and rain to the area. Witnesses say that it seemed that parts of the tent were briefly lifted into the air before slamming back down.

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From New Hampshire Public Radio, Chris Jensen reports:

"The tent at the fairgrounds collapsed as 100 spectators were watching a traveling circus.

"Julie Fuller of Lunenberg, Vt., was with her two-year-old daughter when winds estimated at 60 miles per hour struck. She said the tent billowed and then collapsed:

"'It was like a movie, a scary movie gone bad, bad, very bad.'

"Late Monday night, state Fire Marshal Bill Degnan said the victims were a young man and a girl. He declined to identify them until their next of kin could be notified. He says the investigation is continuing.

"'We will be looking at the construction of the tent and how it was set up,' Degnan said."

The circus that had come to Lancaster "was operated by Walker Brothers International of Sarasota, Florida," Jensen says, adding, "Officials there couldn't be reached for comment."