Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Heat kills 18 in Phoenix, mostly homeless

The city is opening shelters and handing out water as a heat wave registers record temperatures.

PHOENIX - A record heat wave has led to the deaths of 18 people, most of them homeless, leaving officials scrambling to provide water and shelter to the city's transient population.

For the first time in years, homeless shelters opened their doors during the day to offer respite from the blistering sun, which has delivered above-average temperatures every day since June 29. Police began passing out thousands of water bottles donated by grocery stores, and city officials set up tents for shade downtown.

Four more bodies were found Wednesday. Fourteen of the victims were thought to be homeless. Authorities did not know if a man found by the side of a road Sunday had a permanent residence.

In all of last year, the state documented 34 heat-related deaths among Arizona residents.

The first deaths were reported Saturday. By Wednesday, the forecast still called for a high of 108 degrees. Even during the coolest part of the day, temperatures were at 89 degrees.

The Phoenix Rescue Mission was opened Monday to anyone needing a break from the heat. The shelter turned on hoses so transients could wet their clothes and had ordered 300 neckerchiefs that can be dipped in water and tied around the neck.

Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon said his office was seeking federal emergency help, even though government assistance is typically offered only for extreme cold weather, not blistering heat.

Maricopa County, including Phoenix and its suburbs, has a homeless population between 10,000 and 12,000 people.

TODAY:

High 107, low 89

FRIDAY:

High 104, low 86

SATURDAY:

High 103, low 86

SUNDAY:

High 103, low 87

Source: National Weather Service

[Last modified July 21, 2005, 00:57:10]