Authorities in Canada, Oregon and Washington state said Wednesday they were investigating hundreds of deaths likely caused by scorching temperatures that shattered all-time records in the normally temperate region.
British Columbia’s chief coroner, Lisa Lapointe said that between last Friday and Wednesday, her office received reports of at least 486 “sudden and unexpected deaths.” She added that normally, 165 people would die in the Canadian province over a five-day period, reports the Associated Press.
“While it is too early to say with certainty how many of these deaths are heat related, it is believed likely that the significant increase in deaths reported is attributable to the extreme weather,” LaPointe said in a statement.
Many homes in British Columbia, like Washington and Oregon, don’t have air conditioning and very few people were prepared for the extreme temperatures.
“Vancouver has never experienced heat like this, and sadly dozens of people are dying because of it,” Vancouver police Sgt. Steve Addison said in a statement.
Temperatures in Oregon topped out at 116 degrees Fahrenheit on Monday, according to USA Today. At least 63 people have died since Friday, the State Medical Examiner’s office said.
“A preliminary investigation suggests the deaths may be associated with the Pacific Northwest heatwave,” said Oregon State Police Captain Tim Fox.
At least 45 of those deaths were in Multnomah County, which houses Portland, Oregon, officials said in a news release. Ages ranged from 44 to 97, and most had underlying health conditions.
“This was a true health crisis that has underscored how deadly an extreme heat wave can be, especially to otherwise vulnerable people,” said Multnomah County Health Officer Dr. Jennifer Vines.
“I know many county residents were looking out for each other and am deeply saddened by this initial death toll. As our summers continue to get warmer, I suspect we will face this kind of event again.”
Over a dozen deaths in Washington state have been linked to the heat, a number that was expected to rise. The King County medical examiner’s office, which covers an area including Seattle, said at least two people died of hyperthermia, an abnormally high body temperature’
In neighboring Snohomish County, three men — ages 51, 75, and 77, respectively — died after experiencing heatstroke in their homes. And in western Washington, the Spokane Fire Department found two people dead in an apartment building Wednesday who had been suffering symptoms of heat-related stress, KREM-TV reported.
The record-smashing heatwave has also led to a jump in hospital emergency room visits. Nearly 10 percent of all emergency room visits Monday were due to heat-related illnesses, according to data supplied by Public Health — Seattle & King County.
During the three-day heatwave, 357 King County residents visited emergency rooms for heat-related complaints. Since January 2018, the one-day high for visits to emergency rooms for such illnesses had been nine.
