Philadelphia reports 2 heat-related deaths during dangerous heat wave

PHILADELPHIA - City officials have reported two heat-realted deaths in Philadelphia over the weekend as a dangerous heatwave continues to bake the Delaware Valley. 

A spokesperson for the Philadelphia Department of Public Health told FOX 29 that both deaths happened during the city's Heat Health Emergency. 

The spokesperson did not share information on the age of the people who died or the circumstances that lead to their deaths. 

Philadelphia declared a Heat Health Emergency last week as temperatures cranked into the mid-to-upper 90s with humidity. The emergency, along with an Excessive Heat Warning issued by the National Weather Service for the entire Delaware Valley, will expire Monday night.

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During the Heat Health Emergency, Philadelphia has made several resources available to residents to combat the brutally hot condition, including several cooling centers across the city. 

A special hotline, nicknamed Heatline, will be open to the public Sunday between 8:30 a.m. through 11:59 p.m. and Monday from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. That number is open for anyone with questions about precautions they should be taking and detecting signs of heat stress. The number is 215-765-9040. Nurses will be available to speak with the public.

As temperatures continue to climb,Dr. Mike Cirigliano is reminding people to stay hydrated in the heat. Vulnerable populations, like the elderly and the young, should seek out air-conditioning if they don’t have it at home, and listen to one’s body.

"If you are experiencing symptoms of dizziness, light-headedness, or nausea or worsening symptoms, you immediately have to get out of the heat," Dr. Mike said. "If you start to really have nausea, vomiting, confused – those are signs of heat stroke and that is a medical emergency."