This summer was the deadliest on record for heat-associated fatalities in Maricopa County amid a growing wave of homelessness.
largest county amid a growing wave of homelessness. Public health statistics this week confirmed a record 359 such deaths just days before the end of the six-month heat season.
Maricopa County’s heat-associated fatalities this year have outpaced the 339 deaths confirmed in 2021 and the final number could be higher still, with another 91 deaths still under investigation. Nearly 80% of the heat-associated deaths in Maricopa County this year occurred outdoors, but the preliminary heat reports for this year don’t estimate how many of the deaths were among the homeless rather than people who were working outside or were outdoors for other reasons.
She said about 900 individuals currently stay at shelters on the campus, with about 1,000 more in tents on the streets outside the fenced property. There were an estimated 300 people sleeping just outside the campus a year ago.The largest county in Arizona is on track to beat last year's record of 338 heat-associated deaths as dangerously hot temperatures persist in the state. FOX 10's Nicole Garcia reports.