NEWS 3
Poor turnout for byelection
COMMUNITY 9
Valedictorian inspires others
COMMMUNITY 15
City projects receive funding Do Your Partt
ST ND
6FT APART THURSDAY, JULY 1, 2021
LOCAL NEWS – LOCAL MATTERS.
There’s more at Burnabynow.com
burnabynow.com
DOG SAVED: A dog is lucky to be alive after being left in a locked vehicle in the heat last Friday. Burnaby firefighters and RCMP were called to a house after someone spotted the dog in the vehicle and they attempted to break in but were unable. A tow truck was called in and the operator was able to open the door and let the dog out. PHOTO RYAN STELTING
Sudden deaths in Burnaby blamed on the heat Cornelia Naylor
cnaylor@burnabynow.com
Record-smashing temperatures are believed to have contributed to dozens of deaths in Burnaby during the recent heatwave, according to police. On Monday, when temperatures reached 42C, local police responded to 15 reports of sudden deaths,
according to Burnaby RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Mike Kalanj. By 4:30 p.m.Tuesday, he said they had responded to 25 more. Last year during the same time period, police responded to just one such call. Heat is believed to have been a contributing factor in the majority of the
deaths, and many of the dead have been seniors, according to police. In news releases and on social media, the detachment implored residents to check on people they know, especially with seniors. Officers were mostly called to people’s homes, especially apartment buildings, according to
Kalanj. “Our officers would get in there, and it would be 40-plus degrees in these apartments,” he told the NOW. “Not everyone has AC, and if they do, a lot of people’s air conditioners aren’t working because it’s too hot. A healthy person would have a tough time in 40-plus degrees, nevermind an older person or
anyone with any kind of underlying condition.” Most of the calls have come from other emergency responders, like paramedics and firefighters, but some have come from family members and even apartment building managers, according to Kalanj. The Burnaby Fire Department responded to 65
medical emergencies on Monday and 67 calls on Tuesday, according to fire Chief Chris Bowcock. On the same two days last year, firefighters responded to just five such calls on each day. “It’s heartbreaking,” Kalanj said. “I’ve got 14-and-a-half-years’ service, and this is unprecedented.”