PORTLAND, Ore. — At least 16 people in Oregon are now suspected to have died from heat-related causes connected to the record-breaking heat wave in July that saw multiple days of 100-degree temperatures or higher.
Seven of the deaths occurred in Multnomah County, three in Washington County, one in Coos County, one in Linn County, two in Douglas County and two in Jackson County.
Multnomah County reported an additional suspected heat-related death Friday morning. A 62-year-old man was found dead in the 97219 ZIP code. The sixth death was a 72-year-old man found in the 97203 ZIP code. His death was discovered on Tuesday, July 9, when Portland saw a high temperature of 100 degrees.
The first reported death in Multnomah County was an 87-year-old man who was discovered in the 97230 ZIP code on Friday. That ZIP code covers parts of Northeast Portland and North Gresham. The second death, a 64-year-old man, was reported Sunday, July 7 in the 97206 ZIP code in Southeast Portland. A third, a 75-year-old man found in the 97216 ZIP code, was also reported on Sunday.
The county also reported the death of 33-year-old man, a Clackamas County resident who died in a Portland-area hospital on Saturday — marking the fourth death in Multnomah County. The fifth death, a 67-year-old woman found in the 97212 ZIP code was discovered on Monday, July 8.
The Multnomah Medical Examiner's Office is investigating each of the deaths. It could take several weeks or months for investigators to confirm the four men's causes of death. Additional tests and investigations will determine whether their deaths were heat-related.
On Thursday morning, Washington County said two people died overnight: an 87-year-old man in the 97124 ZIP code, and a 73-year-old woman in the 97006 ZIP code. The county also confirmed Wednesday morning that the death of an 83-year-old man in the 97005 on Tuesday is suspected to be heat-related.
The Oregon State Medical Examiner's office confirmed Tuesday the death of a 33-year-old man in Coos County is suspected to be heat-related, although officials did not provide any further details about the case. Later updates added the deaths of a 56-year-old man in Linn County, two men in Jackson County, ages 54 and 55, and a 76-year-old man and a 74-year-old woman in Douglas County.
Last year, Multnomah County reported at least six heat-related deaths amid a heat wave in August 2023. In 2021, 96 people in Oregon died as a result of a historic heat dome event in June. Of those who died, at least 54 people were in Multnomah County alone.
