Heat-related deaths fell in Maricopa County in 2024, according to preliminary report

PHOENIX — Heat deaths in Maricopa County are down for the first time in a decade.

In 2023, the county reached its highest recorded number of heat deaths with 645 people dying from the heat. A preliminary report from the county’s department of public health found there were 602 confirmed heat-related deaths in 2024. Another eight deaths are under investigation.

The new report’s findings are especially noteworthy because last year saw the hottest summer in Phoenix’s recorded history.

Why heat deaths are down in Maricopa County

Dr. Nick Staab, the chief medical officer for the Maricopa County Department of Public Health, attributes it to the ways officials are expanding the county’s heat relief network.

“In the past, many of the cooling centers in the heat relief network were not open on weekends and in the evenings,” Staab told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Monday. “We knew from a survey that we did in 2023 of individuals who are using cooling centers that those evening hours were really critical to stay staying cool.”

After learning that detail, officials starting keeping some heat relief sites open during evenings, weekends and holidays. A nonprofit called 211 has also provided transportation to these cooling centers for people who can’t get there on their own, he added.

Officials also focused on helping populations who are most at risk of dying due to the heat, such as unhoused people as well as people with substance use disorder, Staab said.

Phoenix Mayor excited to hear heat deaths are down

Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego used the news as an opportunity to highlight some of the ways the city has been fighting the rising heat, such as opening a 24-hour heat respite site and spending around $3 million for summer heat relief and services last year.

“No deaths are acceptable, and we’ll continue to work to ensure our most vulnerable residents, including those experiencing homelessness, have shelter and heat relief options during our extreme summer heat,” Gallego said in a Monday news release. “But these numbers show that we’re having an impact, we’re making a difference, and we’re saving lives.”

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Susan Monday contributed to this report.

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