Carey Collins had planned for a Seattle heat wave years ago when he purchased an air-conditioner for his Wedgwood neighborhood apartment.
But at 7:35 p.m. on Friday, June 25, the power went out at Collins’ place, rendering his air-conditioner useless.
“That’s an unlivable situation,” Collins said. He compared his apartment to an oven.
“Every surface in my entire apartment is radiating heat,” he said. “I touch the wall. I touch the floor, the tub, it was all radiating heat.”
Collins is one of thousands of western Washington residents who lost power over the weekend, as Seattle and surrounding areas continue to shatter heat records.
Most of the outages have been heat related, said Julie Moore, spokesperson with Seattle City Light. “The heat is especially hard on underground infrastructure,” Moore said.