At least 19 deaths investigated as possibly heat-related in Santa Clara County
Amid the prolonged Bay Area heat wave, officials in Santa Clara County say at least 19 deaths are being investigated as possibly being heat-related.
The Santa Clara County Medical Examiner/Coroner's Office said Wednesday afternoon the timeline was as of July 1. Of the 19 deaths, three people were homeless and one was unhoused but enrolled in a transitional housing program, the Coroner's Office said.
Many of the deaths involved people succumbing to the heat while inside their homes, according to the office.
"Many of the potential heat-related deaths found in their homes did not have air conditioning and if they did, it was not turned on," the office said in an email to CBS News Bay Area.
None of the deaths involved work-related heat exposure, the office said.
On Tuesday, the Coroner's Office said it was investigating 14 deaths in connection to the heat wave. One of the first reported heat-related deaths happened on July 2, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan said.
"This was an avoidable tragedy and exactly why we're moving with urgency to create enough basic, dignified shelter for everyone — it's not compassionate to leave people suffering in unmanaged, unsheltered and unsafe conditions," Mahan said on X, July 3.
The San Jose Peace and Justice Center's Unhoused Response Group, URG, claimed at least five unhoused people have died since July 1 from heat-related illness.
"Nobody is getting it together. People say that there's an emergency but nobody's responding like it's an emergency," said Shaunn Cartwright, who is a volunteer with URG.
The California Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) is coordinating with local governments and emergency managers on regional needs amid the heat wave. A current list of local cooling centers open by county can be found at the Cal OES website.