Five people in Vernon died due to extreme heat during this past summer’s heat dome, according to a BC Coroners Service report released Monday (Nov. 1). As cooler weather sets in, B.C. residents urged to be safe against carbon monoxide
The report reveals the death toll of the 2021 heat waves across the province. There were 595 heat-related deaths in B.C. between June 18 and Aug. 12. Most of those deaths (526) occurred in one week, from June 25 to July 1, when the heat wave was at its peak.
There were 32 heat-related deaths in the Okanagan from June 25 to July 1, for a rate of 7.8 per 100,000 people. In that period there were 12 deaths in Kelowna and 14 in Kamloops.
In the Interior, 57 of the deaths occurred inside a residence, three occurred outside and one took place inside a public building. Twenty four of the deaths in the Interior were female and 40 were male.
All victims in the Interior were over the age of 40, with ages 70-79 seeing the most deaths (23) followed by the 60-69 age bracket (18).
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