BLISTERING HEAT

Phoenix Brings in Freezer Trucks Anticipating Rise in Heat Wave Deaths

The city has experienced relentlessly high temperatures, regularly breaking 100 degrees.

As a relentless heat wave brings lethally high temperatures to Phoenix, authorities anticipating a surge of heat-related deaths have taken a grim step: bringing in freezer trucks to hold the bodies of victims. According to NBC News, a county official verified that the storage units—now parked in downtown Phoenix—arrived earlier this week, as temperatures continue to exceed 100 degrees. No bodies are currently in the containers, but Maricopa County officials took the step to prepare as a growing number of bodies strains the capacity of the Maricopa Medical Examiner. The medical examiner’s office has so far documented 25 heat-related deaths, though nearly 250 more are being investigated.