A homeless man was found dead July 18, becoming Tempe's first reported casualty of this year's record heat wave.
The victim, an unidentified Hispanic male in his 50s, was pronounced dead on scene. Police are still waiting for a complete autopsy report from the county medical examiner's office, but officers are fairly certain the summer heat was ultimately what killed the man.
"Based on the appearance at the scene, we're sure heat was a contributing factor, if not the primary cause, of death," Tempe police public information officer Sgt. Dan Masters said.
The victim was first spotted in the afternoon in front of 55 W. Southern Ave. Masters said the body was brought to the department's attention later that night.
"The witness who called us to alert us of his being there first saw him there at 1 p.m. and just thought he was sleeping in the bushes," Masters said. "When the witness returned home at 9 p.m. he saw him still there."
Monday's fatality was the first heat-related death in Tempe, but 21 people have died in the Phoenix metropolitan area this summer. The number is the worst fatality rate in years, and Phoenix usually averages five to 10 deaths all summer. Fourteen of the 21 dead have been homeless.
Social services and local authorities are doing what they can to alleviate the dangers of the summer, Masters said. Many local shelters are opening their air-conditioned interiors early to offer respite from the sun, and Tempe police are providing "resource cards" to Tempe's indigents in case they ask for assistance, he said. The cards contain tips on surviving the heat and direct the homeless and transient population to shelters and social services.
Thousands of bottles of water, donated by stores and individuals, have been handed out to indigents.
The Phoenix heat wave has produced temperatures of at least 110 degrees every day from July 11 to 19.
Relief may be coming, however. July 20 had a relatively tame high of 108, and meteorologists are calling the rainstorm on Saturday the first downpour of the monsoon season.
Reach the reporter at jason.ludwig@asu.edu.
