The medical examiner’s office in Arizona’s Maricopa County is over capacity and has had to bring in refrigeration units due to a spike in deaths this month amid a record-breaking heat wave, officials said.
It’s the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 that the Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office has needed extra coolers for the dead. As of Thursday, the office was at 106% of standard capacity, according to Phoenix ABC affiliate KNXV-TV.
A Maricopa County spokesperson confirmed to ABC News on Thursday evening that 10 individual refrigeration units had been sent to the medical examiner’s office to increase capacity, should the need arise. The coolers are located near the office in downtown Phoenix but are not yet in use, according to the spokesperson.
Arizona medical examiner’s office at 106% capacity, brings in refrigeration units
