Extreme heat hits the U.S.

In Washington, D.C., residents and tourists seek some relief from the heat - splashing in fountains and paddling on the Potomac River - as temperatures reach triple digits.

Some tried to sit out the rising temperatures - while construction workers on building sites in the capital city's downtown - tried to stay hydrated.

SOUNDBITE: Construction Worker, saying

"We have to have a whole, lots and lots of water, that way we can stay hydrated and everything and all that. We don't want to just sit out here and sweat."

As West as Nebraska - east to New York and south to Florida, a third of the United States was under a heat advisory on Friday.

Many areas of the country have had days of high temperatures - with little rain - contributing to the destructive wildfires in Colorado - and leading to at least one death in Arkansas.

The hot weather was expected to stay - in much of the country - through the weekend.

Sarah Irwin, Reuters.