Heat-related deaths reported after holiday weekend

In the Bay Area, six elderly residents died because of the record-high temperatures

Six elderly residents died from heat-related causes over the Labor Day weekend, when record-high temperatures blanketed the Bay Area, authorities said.

Three of the deaths were reported in San Mateo County and the other three occurred in San Francisco. Alameda, Contra Costa and Santa Clara counties did not record any deaths definitively linked to the heat.

In San Mateo County, 90-year- old Patrick Henry was found dead from heat stroke at his Pacifica home around 7:25 p.m. Saturday, according to the San Mateo County Coroner’s Office.

At 10:50 p.m. that same night, Ernesto Demesa, 79, died from heat stroke at his Daly City home, the coroner’s office said.

Around 2:45 a.m. Sunday, 95-year- old Millbrae resident Loraine Christiansen was staying at the St. Fran- cis Pavilion assisted- living facility and taken to a South San Francisco hospital for heat stroke. She died at the hospital.

The San Francisco Medical Examiner’s Office reported “three probable heatrelated deaths” in the city, which doubles as the county.

Its summary was less detailed, and stated that three people born in the 1920s and 1930s — mak- ing them in their late 70s to 90s — died at their homes over the holiday weekend, where they were living independently. No 911 calls preceded the discovery of these deaths.

Earlier in the summer, Santa Clara County recorded two heat- related deaths on June 19, both in San Jose: 72-year- old Dennis Young, a homeless man found dead a car, and 87-year- old Setsu Jordan, who died outdoors.

Heading into the heat wave, authorities stressed the importance of staying hydrated, taking advantage of area cooling centers, and frequently checking on the well-being of elderly family members, friends and neighbors.