Despite promises, California doesn’t know how many people died in record summer heat wave
Hottest in U.S. since ’90s, with record wildfires in West
The mercury soared to 98 degrees in Death Valley, breaking an all-time record
In the past 24 hours, at least 10 people have died in California, marking the second-highest death toll in the state in a single day. And yet more bodies are likely to be found because of the scorching heatwave that has continued for a week.
While the state’s top law enforcement officials are scrambling to explain the cause of the deaths in San Bernardino, the victims include two women who died in a house fire, the city’s first confirmed loss from the heatwave, officials said.
In the past 24 hours, at least 10 people have died in California, marking the second-highest death toll in the state in a single day.
San Bernardino County Health Department officials say 10 of the deaths are believed to be from heat-related illness. The other two are unclear, but officials have attributed two deaths to possible heart disease, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Two patients died at a hospital in the small city of Fontana, where the temperature reached 101 degrees, the Daily Mail reported today. Both had severe heart or pulmonary conditions, officials said.
Meanwhile, a fire in the tiny Northern California town of Simi Valley killed 18, including six firefighters battling a 30-acre blaze to prevent it from spreading into neighboring Los Angeles County, authorities said.
The Simi Valley fire destroyed at least 3,000 homes, officials said. It started Monday and was brought under control after 10 hours today.
And in Sacramento, where the heat brought temperatures of 111 degrees on Saturday, officials on Sunday said the heat was expected to linger into the week.
At least 20 people died in California’s historic drought, more than any other U.S. state except for Colorado, the National Weather Service
