The toll of heat deaths in the Phoenix area soars after the hottest summer on record

By ANITA SNOW
Associated Press

PHOENIX (AP) — The toll of heat-associated deaths in Arizona’s most populous county has now soared over 360. The deaths are still being tallied after the area’s hottest summer on record. Public health officials are alarmed. They say the final count will surely set a new record. Maricopa County is the hottest metropolitan area in the U.S. and home to Phoenix. It reported this week that 361 heat-associated deaths have been confirmed this year as of Oct. 7. Another 238 deaths remain under investigation. As of the same time last year, 331 heat-associated deaths had been confirmed and 126 deaths were still being studied.