More than 70 people may have died in California's heat wave since July 14, according to data published by the state emergency services office Wednesday.
A spokeswoman of the Governor's Office of Emergency Services said they were working to confirm that the recent deaths of 71 people were due to the record-breaking heat.
"These are deaths that are believed to be due to the heat or related to the heat wave," Tina Walker told AFP.
"However, until toxicology records and autopsies are performed, it won't be certain that that was the cause," she said.
Most of the dead were elderly people living in the hot central valley between San Francisco and Los Angeles.
