3 heat-related deaths in Montreal since Sunday

There have now been three heat-related deaths reported to Montreal’s public health department since a heat wave began gripping the city Sunday. The two additional deaths occurred Tuesday, department spokesman Tudor Matei told CityNews, after a first heat-related death on Monday.

Matei says the deaths are “’unfortunately expected” with this type of weather.

“Is it surprising? Not really,” he said. “It’s been several days that the heat is rather intense in Montreal. I mean, it’s definitely taken some records out that were broken.”

There have also been two non-fatal heat stroke incidents.

“Watch out for your family or friends or community,” he added. “And, you know, for yourself. I mean, nobody’s invincible, avoid exerting yourself outside in the heat.”

Temperatures exceeded 33°C in Montreal on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. Environment Canada says Wednesday’s high should be 30°C, with seasonable temperatures returning on Thursday. Environment and Climate Change Canada Meteorologist Steven Flisfeder says each of the last three days has recorded a new daily record.

“When you factor in humidity, it’s been feeling more like forwarded with the humidex,” Flisfeder said. [So] very hot conditions over the past few days. It should come to an end after today.”

“Always important to check in on loved ones, friends, neighbors, everybody can think of who may have preexisting conditions who may be particularly vulnerable to these warm and humid conditions,” Flisfeder added.

Matei says Montreal Public Health officials are going door-to-door to perform wellness checks on vulnerable populations across the city.

“There’s data still coming in, the police and prevention people from the fire department are going door to door in previous sites and places where there are potentially vulnerable people.”

“It’s kind of a search-and-rescue mission to see exactly where everybody’s at and reference people who might need it to the health sector.”

The city’s health agency was notified of five heat-related deaths when temperatures soared in late June.

Monitor for symptoms

Vanessa Grillo of Urgences-Santé is reminding everyone to monitor for any signs or symptoms of heat-related illnesses.

“Definitely like a lot of sweating, hot skin, fatigue are the major ones,” said Grillo, a supervisor on Urgences-Santé’s emergency management and preparedness team. “Headache, but there can also be nausea, vomiting, and then a decreased level of consciousness if it’s getting very severe would be the main ones that we typically see.

She adds that they’ve seen a higher volume of calls within the last few days though note it is difficult to determine if all are related to heat.

“It’s all about taking it slowly and not overdoing it, right? So like, we’re not going to tell people to not go outside because it’s summer in Montreal and it’s beautiful, but it’s about being careful. So going out for short periods of time and then going into either a shady area or somewhere with air conditioning if you have access to that.”

Montreal’s public health has asked ER doctors and first responders to report all suspected heat-related deaths, as they alert there is a significant risk when temperatures climb, specifically among people with chronic health problems.

“I think we sometimes don’t always appreciate how dangerous extreme heat can be,” said cardiologist and epidemiologist Dr. Christopher Labos.

“We always see a spike in deaths when we have extreme temperatures, whether it be extreme heat or extreme cold,” Dr. Labos added.