Death count rises as California's record heat wave slowly tapers off

FRESNO, Calif. – Coroners in the Central Valley were overwhelmed by bodies and aid workers went door-to-door checking on the elderly Thursday as the blistering temperatures brought about by an unprecedented 12-day heat wave finally began to edge lower.

In Fresno County's overstretched morgue, the walk-in freezer was stuffed with bodies, with some piled on top of others, said Coroner Loralee Cervantes. With limited air conditioning, employees worked in sweltering heat as the coroner's office investigated at least 22 possible heat-related deaths.

"It's never been like this in my years here," Cervantes said. "This is really tragic."

Statewide, the number of suspected heat-related deaths climbed to 97, according to county coroners' offices.

Stanislaus County was investigating whether triple-digit heat was responsible for 20 deaths. In Modesto, Salvation Army workers knocked on doors to check on elderly residents who regularly receive meals through its Meals on Wheels program.

Doug Lilly, who usually delivers meals to about 65 people each week, said he was making sure residents were keeping cool and didn't need extra medical attention.

"I'm just making sure they're alright, they're hydrated," Lilly said, carrying a frozen meal packet with chicken and potatoes and cartons of milk and juice.

Kern County was investigating eight possible heat-related deaths, including two Bakersfield brothers who were found dead in their beds in a home with no air conditioning Wednesday evening, according to Deputy Coroner Kelly Cowan.

Ronald L. Jones, 57, and Gerald G. Jones, 68, likely died from heat-related causes, Cowan said. A neighbor had seen them drinking coffee together on their front porch that morning.

In Sacramento County, where the coroner's office was investigating 11 possible heat-related fatalities, police officers and firefighters knocked on doors in neighborhoods without power or air conditioning, targeting one-room occupancy hotels, boarding homes and mobile home parks.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who earlier this week ordered state officials to open cooling centers where at-risk residents could escape the heat, said Thursday that 75 such sites were available at fairgrounds statewide.

Health officials also were contacting nursing homes to make sure they had evacuation plans in place in case their air conditioning systems failed, he said.

Speaking at an almond orchard in Merced, Schwarzenegger said emergency regulations aimed at protecting outdoor workers from the heat would become permanent. The rules declared last year ensure that workers have access to cold water, shade and rest breaks if they feel the onset of heat stroke.

"I didn't want to sit back and watch people suffer," Schwarzenegger said. "We're doing everything we can to help the state."

State Sen. Dean Florez, D-Shafter, called on Schwarzenegger to declare a state of emergency in the Central Valley to make more financial and personnel resources available.

"Record-breaking heat requires a record-breaking response," Flores said. "The conditions, staying this hot for this long, are simply too much for the most vulnerable residents."

Schwarzenegger said he had already taken "action" to help state residents cope with the record heat, pointing to the cooling centers and conservation measures to avoid blackouts.

"There's not much more we can do," he said. "I don't know what it means to declare a state of emergency when we're already doing everything."

Spokeswoman Margita Thompson said no counties had asked the state for an emergency declaration.

At least six Central Valley counties have already declared local states of emergency that allow farmers to bury livestock killed by the heat in landfills or on their own properties — disposal methods not normally allowed by state water laws.

Temperatures were cooling around the state Thursday, with a comfortable high of 67 in San Francisco and Sacramento dipping below 100 for the first time in 12 days.

But parts of the Central Valley saw only minor relief — Fresno still reached 105 and Bakersfield hit 107.

Temperatures in most parts of California were expected to drop below 100 by this weekend, said Kathy Hoxsie, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service.

"It's a little slower than we would like, but the heat is finally moving out," Hoxsie said. "The high pressure that played a big role in the higher temperatures and humidity is finally getting pushed off."

The number of consecutive days when temperatures surpassed 110 degrees was unprecedented for California, meteorologists said. Woodland Hills, which set a Los Angeles County record of 119 degrees Saturday, hit 102 degrees Thursday, its 22nd day of triple-digit heat.

Cooler weather and increased conservation helped ease the strain on the power grid.

No rolling blackouts or interruptions were expected Thursday unless other transmission lines or power plants also shut down, said Jim Detmers, operations manager at the Independent System Operator, which manages the state's power grid.

A wind-driven wildfire near the Oregon border was threatening the major power transmission lines between California and the Pacific Northwest, but grid operators said they can reroute electricity even if the lines go dead.