About a dozen deaths in Washington and Oregon may be tied to an intense heat wave that brought scorching temperatures to the Northwest and caused one power utility to impose rolling blackouts amid heavy demand.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — More than 60 deaths in Oregon have been linked to the historic heat wave in the Pacific Northwest, health officials said, as dozens of other deaths in Canada, Washington state and elsewhere are investigated for ties to the hot weather. In Vancouver, British Columbia, police said they had responded to more than 65 sudden deaths since the heat wave began Friday. Authorities in Washington state were investigating more than a half-dozen deaths, but that number was likely to rise. The heat wave was caused by what meteorologists described as a dome of high pressure over the Northwest and worsened by human-caused climate change. In a statement, the medical examiner in Oregon’s largest county, Multnomah County, said 45 heat deaths it recorded were due to hyperthermia, an abnormally high body temperature caused by a failure of the body to deal with heat. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below. VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — The grim toll of the historic heat wave that scorched the Pacific Northwest became more apparent Wednesday as authorities in Canada, Washington state and Oregon said they were investigating dozens of deaths likely caused by temperatures that soared well above 100 degrees. In Vancouver, British Columbia, police said they had responded to more than 65 sudden deaths since the heat wave began Friday. Authorities in Washington and Oregon were investigating about a dozen deaths. “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. The heat wave was caused by what meteorologists described as a dome of high pressure over the Northwest and worsened by human-caused climate change, which is making such extreme weather events more likely and more intense.
