4 dead in Oregon as heat wave bakes Pacific Northwest

The severe heat in the Northwest has now turned deadly, with the Oregon state medical examiner reporting four suspected heat deaths on Thursday.

With temperatures expected to stay in the triple digits across much of the Northwest this weekend, officials are warning people of the dangers.

Three deaths were reported by Multnomah County, which includes Portland, on July 25, 26 and 27. The fourth death occurred on July 26 in Umatilla County.

The Oregon State Medical Examiner’s Office told ABC News the designation as heat-related deaths is preliminary. Further investigation, which could take several months, will be needed to make a final determination.

Over a dozen counties across Oregon remain in a state of emergency on Friday.

More than 23 million Americans continue to be under excessive heat warnings or heat alerts, with many of them in the Northwest.

Redding, California, hit 114 degrees on Thursday to break its previous record, according to the National Weather Service.

Medford, Oregon reached 111 degrees, beating a record for the city from 2009.

The extreme heat in the region, coupled with record warm nights, is expected to reach into next week, the NWS said.

Multnomah County officials are asking residents to take the heat seriously.

Officials have set up overnight cooling shelters and a daytime cooling center along with officials from the city of Portland and community partners.

County officials said the centers will remain open until at least Friday morning.

“People don’t think they’re at risk from heat. But we have plenty of younger people ending up in the emergency room right now. It’s not cooling off much at night and we’re only halfway through this thing,” Brendon Haggerty, program supervisor at the Multnomah County Health Department, said in a statement.

The Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division has put measures in place to ensure safety for outdoor workers during the heat.

According to OSHA, when the heat index hits or exceeds 80 degrees, employers need to provide shady areas for workers to rest, more break time and access to plenty of water. If the index hits 90 degrees, breaks must be longer, communication must become more frequent and each worker must be monitored more closely throughout the shift.

Heat-related 911 calls in Portland have tripled in recent days, from an estimated eight calls on Sunday to 28 calls on Tuesday, Dan Douthit, a spokesperson for the city’s Bureau of Emergency Management, told The Associated Press.

During a 2021 heat wave, 800 people died in Oregon, Washington and British Columbia throughout late June and early July. Heat records were broken across the region, with Portland hitting 116 degrees at its peak.

For more information on heat safety, click here.