At least 15 heat-related deaths were the subject of a coroner’s report last year. Here are three cases where fever proved fatal.
• Also read: First summer heat wave: public health on alert
Dead in his car
A 71-year-old man died of heat in his parked car on July 11, 2025 in Val-de-Sources, Estrie. He tried to cool down by opening the door several times. The temperature in the passenger compartment reached about 45°C when witnesses discovered he was in cardiopulmonary arrest. The coroner believes he lost consciousness due to heatstroke in this extreme environment. The report concluded that fatal hyperthermia is associated with “exposure to high temperatures inside an enclosed vehicle.”
Found dead at home
In Trois-Rivières, a 72-year-old man was found dead in his home on June 24, 2025, during a heat wave. In the morning, overwhelmed by the heat and covered in sweat, he went to a friend’s nursing home. There he vomited and was examined by a nurse. He then drank a cold soft drink and lay down in the air-conditioned room. Returning to his 29C, non-air-conditioned apartment, he died from “arrhythmia resulting from dehydration” associated with “prolonged exposure to a very hot environment,” the coroner said.
Heat stress leads to death
The 66-year-old woman was found dead on July 18, 2025, in her Montreal apartment after a heat wave that began five days earlier. According to the report, “the cascade of fatal events begins (…) with heat stress leading to discomfort, loss of consciousness, falls, and then fatal respiratory complications.” This sequence includes vomiting and bronchial aspiration. Its closed environment and lack of air conditioning contributed to its death.
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