A six-foot-tall wax statue of American leader Abraham Lincoln began to melt in the sweltering heat of Washington DC over the weekend and lost its head. The statue, a replica of the Lincoln Memorial, lost its head, had its legs separated from its torso and the right foot melted by Monday, according to reports.
Washington DC reporterly saw 100 degrees Fahrenheit on Saturday.
The white wax statue, created by US-based artist Sandy Williams IV, was installed outdoors on the campus of an an elementary school in Northwest Washington in February this year.
“Our staff has purposely removed Lincoln’s head to prevent it from falling and breaking,” said non-profit organisation CulturalDC that commissioned the statue.
“This 3,000 lb wax sculpture is intended to be burnt like a candle and to change over time, but this wild heat has done a number on Lincoln.”
The organisation said the congealing point- where a substance begins to harden or melt – of the wax used in the Abraham Lincoln statue is 140 degrees.
The installation, titled “40 ACRES: Camp Barker” was meant to be placed in the school till September.
“The installation is a direct commentary on DC’s history of Civil War-era Contraband Camps, refugee camps that housed formerly enslaved and free African Americans. Camp Barker was positioned where Garrison Elementary now stands,” CulturalDC had said in its press release.
US heatwave
Several parts of the US are seeing extreme temperatures, with weather forecasters warning people residing in the central and eastern regions to prepare for the hot streaks this month.
Last year, the the experienced its highest number of heat waves, consisting of abnormally hot weather lasting more than two days, since 1936. Officials again warned residents to take precautions.
(Watch: Statue of Liberty shakes during rare 4.8 magnitude earthquake in New York)
