A 77-year-old man whose air conditioning unit was blowing hot air was found dead in his Central Valley home in what appears to be the first death connected to California’s blistering heat wave, officials said Wednesday.

Firefighters found the man in an unresponsive state on the floor of his Stanislaus County home Tuesday evening, officials said. They began CPR and rushed the victim to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The air conditioner in the room was blowing out air that was more than 100 degrees, according to the Stanislaus County Health Department.

“The result of the coroner’s autopsy has determined that the cause of death is most likely attributed to the heat and other medical conditions,” agency officials said in a statement.


In recent days, the Central Valley and other areas areas of California have been hit with triple-digit temperatures and been under extreme heat warnings, the National Weather Service said.

“This unfortunate loss is a tragic reminder of how dangerous the valley heat can be,” said Dr. John Walker, Stanislaus County health officer.

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