Pierce County sees heat-related deaths rise again with Friday update
Pierce County on Friday saw its deaths tied to the previous weekend’s unprecedented heat wave rise again.
The medical examiner’s office, in a statement Friday, said that it had confirmed 12 heat-related deaths due to the extreme heat in the region June 25-28.
On Thursday, Pierce County’s death toll rose to nine from an initial seven reported dead.
The office continued to say that a small number of deaths are still under investigation, and that the total could change.
The state Department of Health said there were 1,908 emergency department visits reported by hospitals since June 25 for suspected heat-related illness in the state. It noted that 383 of these visits led to an inpatient admission.
The highest volume of emergency department visits for suspected heat-related illness occurred on June 28 with 718 visits, according to state DOH, in its final update on the heat event.
