Yuma fire warns of rising heat emergencies as temperatures top 110

Yuma Fire Department warned that heat emergencies were rising as the Desert Southwest heat wave pushed temperatures past 110, with 40 heat-related emergency department visits already recorded in Yuma this year. Francisco Leon, a fire department spokesman, said the number of emergencies rises as temperatures climb.

The warning landed against a grim statewide backdrop. Arizona Department of Health Services counted 977 heat-related deaths in 2024, including 28 in Yuma County. The agency said heat-related death rates per 100,000 residents were highest in La Paz, Mohave and Yuma counties, and more than 45% of Arizona’s annual heat-related deaths occurred in July. About 63% of the deaths were in Maricopa County, showing how heavily the burden still falls across the state even as the most extreme per-capita risk remains in the western counties.

The toll is not limited to deaths. Arizona averages about 4,298 emergency-room visits a year for heat-related illness, and Yuma County public-health materials said the state logged 4,325 hospital or ER visits for heat-related illness in 2022. In Yuma, local health officials are tracking the 40 emergency department visits already documented this year as the hottest stretch of summer continues.

The people most likely to land in crisis are the ones who spend the most time in the heat: outdoor workers, older adults, children and people with special needs. Public health guidance from Yuma County says residents without air conditioning should use cooling centers or other air-conditioned public spaces, including local libraries and community centers, and should take frequent breaks in shade or air conditioning. Officials also urge people to avoid strenuous activity during the hottest part of the day.

That advice carries extra weight in a desert county where lack of air conditioning is one of the leading causes of heat-related illness. When heat turns dangerous, the first step is to move to a cool place, drink water and get help fast. If someone becomes confused, collapses, faints or stops improving after cooling, call 911. Yuma’s summer heat has already sent hundreds of people toward medical care statewide, and the county’s cooling spaces remain one of the few immediate defenses when the temperature climbs.