Hunnell Road on the north side of Bend is home to a camp of people experiencing homelessness as seen in this February 2021 photo.

The Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed that two Deschutes County men were among the 95 deaths statewide related to the heat wave that hit the state starting a week ago.

Two men were found dead last week at a homeless camp on Hunnell Road in Bend as temperatures reached 104 degrees. Joseph Davis, 60, and Alonzo “Lonnie” Boardman, 64, were identified by the Deschutes County District Attorney’s Office as the men who died. The medical examiner’s report lists only the county and age of each person who died related to the heat wave; the ages of the two Deschutes County deaths match Davis and Boardman.

Homeless advocates and outreach workers believed the triple-digit temperatures and a lack of proper shelter led to Davis and Boardman’s deaths. The losses prompted a massive community response to support homeless residents in Bend, especially those staying on Hunnell Road.

Volunteers from the city of Bend, REACH, the Street Kitchen Collective, the Central Oregon Peacekeepers and other organizations set up two large cooling tents with misters and handed out bottles of water at Hunnell Road, among other cooling and health and safety supplies.