LACKAWANNA COUNTY, Pa. — If you were outside on Monday, you may have felt faint by the heat and humidity.
Unfortunately, those looking to cool off lost another option as the pool at Lackawanna State Park is closed due to the lack of lifeguards yet again.
With the temperatures in the high 80s, the sun beating down, and the humidity so oppressive, people were literally racing to jump in the pool at Lackawanna State Park.
Ashley Larue of Scranton brought her twin boys to the pool, who made a good job of cannonballing into the deep end.
“It is extremely hot, sweating. And I am so grateful today that they are open,” said Larue.
This oasis from the heat is stalled for the time being - officials at the state park say once again, a lack of lifeguards is causing it to close the pool for the foreseeable future.
“A lot of the other pools aren't open, so. It's kind of hard. I have four kids, and for me to take my four kids to Montage or somewhere else, it's costly,” said Larue.
While mom Alex Johnson is disappointed, she thanked the lifeguards for giving them the days they had here.
“We appreciate them driving far to give one last day. We appreciate the last couple weeks. We were here a couple times last week,” said Johnson. “We really appreciate them. We do.”
Paige Barillo and Zach Vaughan, both of Scranton, were taking a stroll through Nay Aug Park.
They say with so many pools closed in the city, they won't be surprised to see people swimming in the Nay Aug Gorge, which is illegal.
“It's fun, but it's dangerous. And if there aren't enough lifeguards for pools, where else are people going to go,” said Barillo.
Scranton police say they still get frequent calls for illegal swimming in the gorge here at Nay Aug Park, despite the placement of surveillance cameras.
“Fall and hit your head. You're so far away from everybody, it's going to take them forever to get down there, you might die,” said Griff Fuller of Olyphant.
To find out when the pools at any state parks are open or closed, check the DCNR's website.