Water main breaks, fallen tree branch injures person at Paso Robles fairgrounds
Just hours before the California Mid-State Fair was scheduled to kick off in Paso Robles, a person was injured by a falling tree branch and water was shut off at key areas of the fairgrounds.
Late Tuesday night, officials sent out two media releases warning of incidents impacting Fair operations, though it was unclear if they were related.
First, at approximately 10 p.m., a large tree branch reportedly fell in an employee parking lot, “striking a parked vehicle,” according to a Mid-State Fair news release.
“One individual was transported to a local hospital for evaluation,” the release said. “No additional injuries have been reported.”
Officials said cleanup crews were at the scene removing the fallen branch as of late Tuesday night “and the area has been secured.”
Soon after, at approximately 11:40 p.m., Paso Robles Fire and Emergency Services said city crews were responding to a water main break at the intersection of 24th Street and Riverside Avenue — right in front of the Paso Robles Event Center.
Riverside Avenue was closed to northbound traffic between 24th Street and Gregory Avenue as the repair work on the main was underway, the release said.
“Motorists are asked to avoid the area and use alternate routes to minimize congestion and allow crews to safely complete repairs,” the release said.
The fire department said several businesses in the area were without water service as of 11:40 p.m. Tuesday. A map provided by the agency indicated the impacted areas included Taco Bell, Big Bubba’s Bad BBQ, Holiday Inn Express and a portion of the livestock area of the fairgrounds.
Repairs were expected to take “a minimum of 10 hours to complete before water service can be restored,” though that could change depending on “conditions encountered during the repair,” the release said.
“City water department is working as quickly and safely as possible to restore service and reopen the roadway,” the release said. “The city appreciates the patience and understanding of affected businesses, residents and motorists during this repair.”
The two incidents occurred the same night Chris Stapleton was set to perform in a sold-out pre-Fair show at the fairgrounds — a first in the annual event’s 80-year history.
It was unclear how the two incidents might impact operations at the Fair on opening day.
The Fair was scheduled to officially kick off Wednesday at 4 p.m., though there were some earlier livestock events scheduled starting at 8:30 a.m.
This story was originally published July 15, 2026 at 12:13 AM.
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