More than 300 suspected heat-related deaths under investigation in Phoenix area
Over 300 deaths suspected to be linked to this summer's record-breaking heat wave are being investigated in a single Arizona County, official statistics showed Thursday morning.
Over 300 deaths suspected to be linked to this summer's record-breaking heat wave are being investigated in a single Arizona County, official statistics showed Thursday morning.
A heat report dashboard run by Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix and is the fourth most-populated county in the U.S., with 4.4 million people, showed 322 deaths are suspected to have been due to heat-related illnesses in the year to July 13 — a huge increase over last year.
Almost 100 of those suspected heat deaths are attributed to a single week, from July 7 to 13, when temperatures reached 118 degrees. That came after parts of Arizona, Nevada and Texas experienced their hottest June on record.
Phoenix firefighters give medical attention to a homeless man in the heat in Phoenix on May 30.Matt York / APThere have been 23 confirmed deaths in the county related to heat this year, the data shows, 17 of which were directly caused by heat and the six others of which were "heat-contributed."
“We know that June was hotter than June last year,” Dr. Nick Staab, assistant medical director of Maricopa County Public Health, told NBC affiliate KPNX of Phoenix. “We know that the risk for heat-related death increases with those higher temperatures.”
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