4 Tri-Cities area deaths blamed on record heat wave. None had air conditioning

As many as four Tri-Cities area residents have died since June 26 due to the high heat, according to Washington state and county data.

The Washington state Department of Health reports as many as 78 deaths attributed to heat as new high temperature records were set in the heat wave that started June 26. Data is through Tuesday, July 6.

That’s twice the number of total heat related deaths, 39, reported from 2015 to 2020.

From mid-June to the end of August last year seven heat-related deaths were reported in the state.

For the recent heat wave, the Department of Health lists three heat-related deaths in Benton County, where the temperature got as hot as 118 degrees, according to the state’s preliminary data.

A 73-year-old Kennewick woman died on June 29. On July 1 a Prosser-area man age 69 was found dead, and on July 3 a Kennewick man age 73 was found dead, according to Dennis Morris, chief deputy coroner.

None had air conditioning and one man did not even have a fan.

“Look in on your neighbors,” Morris advised.

Although the state lists no heat-related deaths in Franklin County, the coroner there reported a likely heat-related death on June 30 of a Kahlotus woman in her early 70s.

The state Department of Health is waiting to confirm the cause of death in some cases across the state and there is often a lag in the death count as it is reported to the state by health care providers, coroners and local health departments.

According to the state report, Walla Walla County has had one heat-related death, Yakima County had five and Spokane County had two.

The state listed no heat-related deaths in 20 counties, including Grant, Adams and Columbia counties in Eastern Washington.

The highest numbers of heat-related deaths in the state were in its two most populous counties, King and Pierce. King County has had 24 and Pierce County had 13, according to state data.

Air-conditioning is less common west of the Cascade Mountains in Washington state, where temperatures are generally cooler than east of the mountains.

Emergency department use for heat-related health issues also was high from June 25 to July 1, according state data.

With 95% of emergency departments submitting data to the state, the state puts heat-related emergency department visits at more than 2,000 over a week.

The state Department of Health plans to update its heat-related death count on Monday.

Climate change blamed

“This huge jump in mortality due to heat is tragic and something many people thought they’d never see in the Pacific Northwest with its mostly moderate climate,” says Dr. Scott Lindquist, acting state health officer.

He said it was another impact of climate change he sees evidence of with dramatic weather events, major flooding and historic forest fires.

Heat waves are predicted to happen more often and last longer due to climate change, which threatens not only the environment but public health, says the state Department of Health.

Those most at risk for heat-related illness are people 65 and older, infants and children up to age 4, overweight people and people who are ill or on certain medications.

This story was originally published July 8, 2021 at 2:43 PM.