FORT WORTH — Temperatures are expected to hit a record 107 degrees today in the Dallas-Fort Worth area in what is becoming one of the hottest North Texas summers on record. The triple-digit temperatures may have already killed four people in Dallas and Fort Worth.
The heat wave's latest victim may have been James Blanton, 72, who was pronounced dead about 10 p.m. Friday after his body was found at a home in the 5400 block of Kilpatrick Avenue. An hour and a half after police arrived, crime scene investigators measured the temperature inside at 112 degrees. Police reported that it is possible that Blanton died from heatstroke.
The Dallas County medical examiner’s office confirmed Saturday that three people had died of heat-related causes since June, spokeswoman Natasha Kennedy said. Billie Emmons and Harold Ulrick, both 82, died in July, and Ronald Gibson, 49, died in June, she said.
An excessive heat warning is in effect until 7 p.m. Monday for the area, the National Weather Service said.
In addition to the excessive heat warning, much of North Texas is under an air pollution watch, which will make it even more difficult for the very young, the elderly and those with respiratory conditions.
If the temperature reaches 107 degrees at Dallas-Fort Worth Airport, it would break the record of 105 set in 1998, according to the National Weather Service.
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