“[If not] For extreme heat, they would not die at that time,” Lapointe said in an interview with CBC. Earlier version.

According to Lapointe, 79% of the dead were 65 years of age or older.

“Many of the dead have potential health problems. Therefore, they are more susceptible to extreme heat,” she said.

“Some people died in their single-family homes, sitting in the living room, sitting in armchairs. But [they had] The doors and windows are closed, and the temperature is much higher than 30 or 35 degrees Celsius. “

Lapointe says that people don’t always realize that their bodies “cannot cope” when they get so hot, especially if they are “somewhat weak already.”

In the last week of June, temperatures across British Columbia soared to record levels and peaked on June 28th and 29th. The western region of Canada broke more than 100 historical records, including several British Columbia communities that were extremely hot at temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius.

On June 29 alone, that day in Leiden, British Columbia, more than 300 sudden deaths were reported across the province. It broke the record for the highest temperature in history in Canada.

Total number of sudden deaths represented Increased by nearly 300% The average number of deaths recorded in the same week each year since 2016.

The coroner investigates how many people died while waiting for help

During the heat wave, first responders were stretched to the limit. Sometimes, the dispatcher has more than 200 calls waiting for a response.Nursing staff told CBC News about lower priority calls Unattended for 4 to 16 hours.

The BC Coroners Service will investigate how many people died while waiting for help.

Lapointe said that some people could not be rescued even if they were taken to the hospital-she said some people experienced hyperthermia when they arrived, but despite receiving medical treatment, they still could not recover.

Summer in the province is usually much milder.

Many communities have little relief during the night heat, and the temperature rarely falls below 20 degrees Celsius. Lapointe said that especially people in urban areas were caught off guard.

All regions are committed to developing better thermal response plans

“We think of cold weather, we will never stay in our house without heating below freezing for several days… We will take our elderly relatives and friends to warmer places,” she said.

“We don’t think about heat in the same way…we have to think about things in a different way.”

Lapointe said that municipalities and community leaders across the province have been calling her office for information because they are working hard to develop better plans for future heat waves.

She said: “I don’t think anyone in the province, from public health officials to the public, really understands that more than 500 people may die due to high temperatures within a week.”

“We have never seen anything like this in this province. In the past 30 years, I have not realized doing this kind of work. It is absolutely unprecedented.”

Listen | Lisa Lapointe talks about heat-related deaths in British Columbia