Three deaths blamed on excessive heat

NEWARK, Ohio (AP/WDTN) - An Ohio coroner is blaming excessive heat for the deaths of three people found alone in their homes this week.

Licking County Deputy Coroner Dr. Jeff Lee says all three were suffering from heart disease but died from stress caused by high temperatures in their houses.

Lee said Friday that a man in his 70s was found Monday in Newark in central Ohio, and two women, one in her late 60s, the other in her 80s, were found Tuesday in rural parts of the county.

Lee says temperatures inside their homes were stifling, with windows closed and no ventilation.

Lee says the homes were without power from the recent storm outages.

He said the three likely would have survived if they'd been in cooler places.

Here in the Miami Valley, we hit record temperatures Friday with a high of 104-degrees predicted for Saturday.  Click here for local information on cooling centers open in the area this weekend.

Click here for the signs of heat illness .