South Carolina firefighters interrupted a large pool party on Saturday after saying that hundreds of people flocked without masks.
The party, at the Palmetto Compress Apartment Complex in Columbia, the state capital, was closed after firefighters received a complaint, according to NBC affiliate WIS.
“It would be a perfect storm if someone had the virus passing on to another,” said Columbia fire chief Aubrey Jenkins, according to WIS.
Jenkins told South Carolina’s The State newspaper that the party, which defied the city’s mask and social distance ordinances, was “almost like Mardi Gras.”
“I saw a large crowd in the pool, in the area next to the pool and on top of the pool,” he said.
The chief believes that there were a few hundred people at the party, which was close to the University of South Carolina.
Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin urged residents to take precautions.
“Clearly evident at the meetings we saw, there is no concern about social detachment and the practice of wearing masks that we know are essential to reduce the spread of the virus,” said Benjamin in a note sent to NBC News. “We must all do our part to act in the interests of public safety and the health of the community.”
He continued: “Columbia City Council and Columbia City Manager Teresa Wilson have contacted apartment owners across the city, including apartments with a high concentration of university students and young people, where there are confirmed reports of large meetings in swimming pools, and requested complexes to close their pools. The city of Columbia closed all of its public pools months ago in response to the initial outbreaks of the virus. “
The party takes place as the University of South Carolina reports hundreds of cases of the coronavirus since the reopening.
On Thursday, the campus case tracker reported 557 active cases on campus and 620 cases since August 1. Of the current active cases, 553 were students. Despite the high numbers, the school maintains a “low” alert for the virus.
South Carolina has recorded more than 118,000 cases since the pandemic began, including more than 2,700 deaths.
The Columbia Fire Department did not immediately return NBC News’s request for comment on Monday.
