Repairman's death in Arizona home's attic may be heat-related

AVONDALE, Ariz. (FOX 10) -- Authorities say an air conditioning technician was found dead in the attic of a home near Lower Buckeye and 107th Avenue and that the death may have been heat-related.

Officials say just before 7 p.m. on Thursday, the homeowners became concerned and found the man unresponsive when checking on him 30 minutes after he went up into the attic. That's when they called for help.

Firefighters arrived at the home, brought the man down from the attic and pronounced him dead at the scene.

The homeowner says his family is very shaken up at what happened. They identified the man as Steve Ball.

AVFD says they have not ruled out other medical conditions that may have contributed to the man's death. Avondale Police will investigate the incident and the Maricopa County Medical Examiner's Office will determine the cause of death.

The high temperature on Thursday, July 18 was 107 °F (41.67 °C), according to officials with the National Weather Service in Phoenix. And of course, it would have been hotter inside the attic.

Health officials are stressing the importance of staying hydrated and safe as we've been experiencing extreme heat conditions daily for more than a week now.

A throbbing headache, nausea, vomiting or not sweating even though you feel hot -- those are all signs of heatstroke and you're beyond heat exhaustion. At that point, a person can lose consciousness. Call 911 and get to a doctor.

This case is the second possible heat-related death we've reported this week. A homeless man died on July 15 from what appears to be heat illness.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.