This summer was the worst on record for heat-associated fatalities in Maricopa County, with 359 deaths before the end of the six-month heat season.
This summer was the deadliest on record for heat-associated fatalities in Arizona's 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.The county has more than a decade of experience tracking heat deaths, but comparable figures are hard to come by in other areas such as the Pacific Northwest, which has only experienced intense heat waves in recent years.
"With so many more homeless people, it makes sense that more would die in the heat,” said Amy Schwabenlender, executive director of the Human Services Campus in downtown Phoenix that brings together agencies assisting homeless people. But last year, substance use was a factor in 60% of those fatalities in Maricopa County. Methamphetamine was found in 91% of the deaths involving drugs, and fentanyl, an opioid, was found in 30%.