The Pacific Northwest heat wave has been linked to dozens of deaths in Canada — where Lytton reached 121°F Tuesday. It's the third consecutive day the British Columbia town had smashed the country's all-time high temperature record.
What's happening: From Friday, when the heat wave began, to Monday officials in the West coast province had recorded at least 233 deaths — roughly 100 more reports than they would typically receive over a four-day period, the BC Coroners Service said in a statement on the fallout from the extreme heat.
https://t.co/eMiUkCGloW
— ECCC Weather British Columbia (@ECCCWeatherBC) June 30, 2021
Words cannot describe this historic event. In B.C., our numbers are for June 28, 2021 are:
• 59 – Daily record max temps
• 43 – All-time records
- Police in Vancouver said they "redeployed dozens of officers" and urged people to only call 911 only for emergencies as "heat-related deaths had depleted front-line resources and delayed response times," per AP.
- Officers in the city had responded to "65 sudden deaths" by mid-afternoon Tuesday, AP noted.
What they're saying: "Since the onset of the heat wave late last week, the BC Coroners Service has experienced a significant increase in deaths reported where it is suspected that extreme heat has been contributory," said British Colombia's chief coroner, Lisa Lapointe, in a statement.
- "Coroners are carefully gathering all information available for each death reported, to determine the cause and manner of death, and whether excessive heat played a role."
Of note: Schools and universities in British Columbia closed Monday due to the heat and officials have installed temporary misting stations in many places to help keep people cool.
