Oregon’s record-breaking heat wave reached a death toll of 107 on Tuesday, according to officials.
The victims range in age from 37 to 97, according to the Oregon State Medical Examiner, as the state has been reeling from scorching triple-digit temperatures from June 25 to June 30.
So far, 67 deaths — more than half the state’s heat wave-related deaths — were reported in Multnomah County, prompting the county to call it a “mass casualty event.” The county’s victims ranged in age from 44 to 97.
Multnomah County health officials said in a news release the suspected cause of all the deaths is hyperthermia — the condition of having a body temperature well above normal. So far, 40 have been formally ruled hyperthermia deaths, and the rest are yet to be officially ruled.
Some of the dead were found inside their homes without air conditioning or fans, according to local ABC affiliate KATU. Portland recorded a high of 116 on Monday, June 28.
An excessive heat warning was in effect the weekend of the wave from the National Weather Service, and the weekend set records for hottest days in history in multiple cities.
Source-ABC
