Pacific Northwest heat wave may have killed hundreds, officials say
By Andrew Selsky and Jim Morris
Published
NewsNOW from FOX | Raw & unfiltered. Non-stop breaking news & live events.
SALEM, Ore. - Hundreds of deaths in Canada, Oregon and Washington may have been caused by the historic heat wave that baked the Pacific Northwest and shattered all-time temperature records in usually temperate cities.
Oregon health officials said late Wednesday more than 60 deaths have been tied to the heat, with the state s largest county, Multnomah, blaming the weather for 45 deaths since the heat wave began Friday.
British Columbia’s chief coroner, Lisa Lapointe, said her office received reports of at least 486 sudden and unexpected deaths between Friday and 1 p.m. Wednesday. Normally, she said about 165 people would die in the province over a five-day period.
The Pacific Northwest’s heatwave wasn’t just record-breaking. It was deadly.
Multnomah County Health Officer Dr. Jennifer Vines said, “Many of them were found at home, not all of them.”
45 were killed in Multnomah County alone. However, not all deaths may have come to light yet.
Dr. Vines said, “We know a risk factor for a heat-related illness and death is social isolation, so sadly these deaths may be people that are yet to be discovered.”
The numbers are shocking, but not necessarily to the experts.
Paul Loikith is director of Portland State University’s climate science lab. He said, “Heat kills more Americans than any other weather-related phenomenon,”
National News
Jul 1, 2021
With the temperature well over 100 degrees, Spokane, Wash., firefighter Sean Condon, left and Lt. Gabe Mills, assigned to the Alternative Response Unit of of Station 1, check on the welfare of a man in Mission Park in Spokane, Wash., Tuesday, June 29, 2021. The special fire unit, which responds to low priority calls, has been kept busy during this week s heatwave. (Colin Mulvany/The Spokesman-Review via AP)
SALEM, Ore. (AP) Hundreds of deaths in Canada, Oregon and Washington may have been caused by the historic heat wave that baked the Pacific Northwest and shattered all-time temperature records in usually temperate cities.
Wildfires ripped through Lytton, British Columbia, on Wednesday - two days after it broke Canada s temperature record
Roughly 1,000 people in and around Lytton fled from their homes as flames engulfed the town in minutes
The extent of the damage was revealed on Thursday as officials said most homes and structures were razed
Officials said it could take days for the region to be deemed safe enough for first responders to begin searching the wreckage for possible fatalities
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) is working to locate an unspecified number of missing residents
Dozens of families who evacuated when the fire swept in are now desperately searching for their loved ones
अमेरिका व कनाडा में भीषण गर्मी से सैकड़ों लोगों की मौत, तापमान 46 डिग्री के पार webdunia.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from webdunia.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.