NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- The heat that scorched the metropolitan area this week caused at least 10 deaths in New York City alone, as well as power problems that resulted in business losses and led authorities at LaGuardia Airport to temporarily shut down the air conditioning Friday. It was the second time this week that LaGuardia, shown above, experienced power problems.
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The death toll linked to the heat climbed significantly after the city medical examiner's office released a round of reports Friday evening. Four deaths in Manhattan and six in Brooklyn were certified by autopsies as being heat-related, spokeswoman Ellen Borakove said.
The tally could grow as additional autopsies are conducted. At least two deaths believed to be heat-related also were reported in Long Island.
The Suffolk County Police are investigating the death of a 64-year-old-man who collapsed in his home last night. It is suspected that the heat played a role in his death as well.
Kevin Hallstrum, who lived with his sister, Dolores Hallstrum, age 55, in a trailer home at 12 Grove Avenue, Bay Shore, had spent the late afternoon in his bedroom watching TV and ventured out of the room several times, But when he emerged from his bedroom the last time, he collapsed and exhibited difficulty breathing.
Mr. Hallstrum was initially conscious and told his sister not to call for help, but when his condition worsened, she called 911. Mr. Hallstrum was rushed by ambulance to Southside Hospital where he expired at 7:17 PM. His body temperature was recorded at 108 degree.
Although the trailer was equipped with an air conditioner, it was not in operation. Instead, the Halistrums relied on opened windows and fans in an effort to abate the heat.
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Friday brought some relief to New York as temperatures were in the upper 80s, with lower humidity.
In the morning, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said a combination of citywide conservation and careful planning got the city through the heat. After the autopsy results were announced, Bloomberg spokesman Stu Loeser said, "The mayor's thoughts and prayers are with the families and loved ones of those we lost during the heat emergency.''
The 10 New York City victims were four women and six men, ranging in age from 42 to 86, Borakove said. All died Thursday, she said. She did not release the victims' names.
On Thursday night in the Long Island town of Hempstead, a relative found three family members unconscious in a home with no air conditioning. One of them, Margaret Refenheiser, 83, died. Her husband, Fred Refenheiser, 85, and her mother, Margaret Hendry, 102, were in stable condition Friday at Mercy Medical Center in Rockville Centre.
Another fatality during the heat wave, possibly linked to alcohol consumption, was a man found Wednesday under a bridge in Brooklyn. The man, who may have been homeless, appeared to be in his 30s, city Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Frieden said. His autopsy is still pending.
Two of the 10 certified heat-related deaths were in the East New York section of Brooklyn, where four people were found dead in three homes over the last two days. None of the homes had air conditioning, police said.
The two heat-related deaths were women ages 86 and 71. Neighbors of the 71-year-old, whom police identified as Edna McEachin, told officers they tried -- but failed -- to persuade her to leave her sweltering apartment and stay with them.
Autopsies are still pending for the other two, an 82-year-old woman and her 47-year-old son, Borakove said.
Meanwhile, power outages continued to strain the city.
The air conditioning was turned off at La Guardia airport for about five hours Friday after Con Edison feeder cables went down. Officials gave bottled water and portable fans to sweaty travelers.
Port Authority spokesman Tony Ciavolella said officials turned off the air conditioning as a power-saving measure, but the problem was fixed by about 7 p.m. ``The reason we did this was basically to keep the airport up and running in terms of flights,'' he said. ``Fortunately, there were no major delays.''
By Friday evening, 953 Con Edison customers -- about 3 thousand-800 people -- were still without power in New York City. The Long Island Power Authority also reported about 802 customers-- roughly 2 thousand-365 people -- without electricity.
On Manhattan's West Side, a morning fire in a manhole knocked out power to the B&H Photo Video store at 33rd Street and Ninth Avenue and an adjoining eight-story commercial building.
B&H, which normally closes at 2 p.m. Friday, posted a sign on its door saying that ``a power problem'' had forced it to close early, and that the store would reopen on Sunday as usual.
Friday is the busiest day of the week for the photo and electronics business that attracts customers from across the country and around the world, said manager Eli Daskal.
After the outage blew power at about 9:45 a.m., "we lost a lot of customers who walk through, browsing or buying,'' he said. "And we lost even more on our Web site, which is down.''
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