Heat deaths of people without air conditioning underscore inequity

FILE - Total Refrigeration service tech Michael Villa works on replacing a fan motor on an air conditioner as temperatures were expected to hit 42.7 Celsius (117 Fahrenheit), July 19, 2023, in Phoenix, Arizona. In Phoenix, Arizona, Shirley Kouplen's mobile home cooling system stopped working during the sweltering heatwave of 2023. By the time emergency responders arrived, the 70-year-old widow's temperature was 41.7 Celsius (107.1 Fahrenheit). She died at a local hospital.

Mexican farm worker Avelino Vazquez Navarro didn't have air conditioning in the motor home where he died last month in Washington state as temperatures surged into the triple digits.