PHOENIX — 29 heat-related deaths have now been confirmed in Maricopa County in 2022 as of July 16.
In its most recent report on heat-related deaths, Maricopa County confirmed 12 additional heat-related deaths between the dates of July 10 and July 16.
*Those deaths did not necessarily happen between those dates but were confirmed and added to the state's total over that time span from this year.
There were 16 heat-related deaths confirmed in 2021 in that same time span.
Of the heat-related deaths reported so far in 2022, 79% of them occurred outside, and 21% were inside.
More than 1,000 unhoused people currently sleep in tents in downtown Phoenix, in addition to the hundreds who fill emergency shelters nearby.
In an effort to prevent more heat-associated deaths, Phoenix and Maricopa County joined local nonprofits this year to outfit a summertime shelter with 200 beds in an unused government building east of downtown.
Landscapers, construction workers, and others who labor outside are also vulnerable to the intense summer heat.
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Of all of the indoor heat-related deaths confirmed so far this near, no air conditioning was believed to be running and working properly at the time.
As of July 18, 193 additional deaths in 2022 are still being investigated to determine if heat played a factor.
