2nd heat-related death in Seattle

A second heat-related death has been reported in Seattle even as temperatures moderate from the scorching weather of earlier this week.

Hospital officials in Tacoma earlier reported a heat-related death there.

In Seattle, Northwest Hospital spokeswoman Karen Peck said late Friday that a 45-year-old Seattle man with a number of significant chronic health issues died Thursday after being brought in by ambulance. She said doctors believe heat was a contributing factor in the death.

Privacy rules prevented her from identifying the man or discussing his health issues.

The King County Medical Examiner's office says heart disease was a contributing factor in Wednesday's heat-related death of 66-year-old Allen J. Paul of Seattle.

Also on Wednesday, a man in his 50s died at St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma of a heat-related illness, according to Franciscan Health System spokesperson Gale Robinette.

The thermometer hit 103 degrees Wednesday at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, breaking a previous record of 100 degrees, set in downtown Seattle in 1941 and repeated at the airport in 1994.