6 people have died in Oregon heat wave

Published 4:00 pm Tuesday, July 9, 2024

Six people have died in Oregon of suspected heat-related causes, health authorities said Tuesday.

The latest to die was a 67-year-old woman in northeast Portland, the Multnomah County Medical Examiner’s Office said. Her death was reported to authorities on Monday.

Since Friday, four others have died in Multnomah County of suspected heat-related causes: an 87-year-old man in northeast Portland, a 33-year-old Clackamas County man who died at a Portland hospital, a 64-year-old man who died in southeast Portland and a 75-year-old man who died in southeast Portland.

The county did not say if they were found in their residences or if they had access to air conditioning.

The Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed another suspected heat-related death in Coos County: a 33-year-old man. The office released no other details.

Portland has recorded five days of record-setting heat: 99 degrees on Friday, 99 on Saturday, 100 on Sunday, 102 on Monday and an expected 103 on Tuesday.

Temperatures in Portland are expected to drop back down to the low 90s Wednesday, but could remain elevated in other parts of the state.

In 2021, a heat dome killed some 100 Oregonians, including 69 in Multnomah County. Eight people died of overheating in 2022 in Multnomah County, and three are suspected to have died due to heat last year. Most of those who died in previous years were white men who were housed and had no air conditioning, county officials said.

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