California heat wave kills people and leaves without power

High temperatures in southern California cause widespread power outages and three deaths.

Photo: California heat wave kills people and leaves without power

Temperatures on Tuesday were expected to hit 90 degrees (32 Celsius) in downtown Los Angeles and up to 105 degrees (40.6 Celsius) in the San Fernando Valley, according to the National Weather Service. Inland parts of San Diego County were expected to reach 104 degrees (40 Celsius) with coastal temperatures predicted to be about 15 to 20 degrees cooler, officials said.

Firefighters found an elderly couple in their apartment in a San Fernando Valley neighborhood Monday, where temperatures of 106 degrees (41 Celsius) were reported. Officials said the couple did not have air conditioning.

San Bernardino County sheriff's deputies on Sunday found the body of a man who had been reported missing a day earlier by his friend. The man's friend told authorities the two of them were separated while illegally gathering scrap metal from the Marine Corps base where the man's body was discovered.

A preliminary coroner's report found he died as a result of exposure and dehydration.

Authorities in Lancaster and Pasadena were investigating the deaths of two women found Sunday - one in a car and the other in her apartment. Both may have been heat related, authorities said.

Crews from several utility companies were working to restore power to thousands of people throughout southern California left without it because of the overload, officials said.

Outages affected about 29,000 homes in Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura, Riverside and San Bernardino counties early Tuesday, said Vanessa McGrady, spokeswoman for utility company Southern California Edison.

Another 29,000 homes were without power in Los Angeles and near record-high demand was predicted, said Kim Hughes, a spokeswoman for the city's Department of Water and Power.

Cooler temperatures in northern California have eased demand on the statewide power supply, officials said.