The heat wave hitting the US was so extreme that people were sustaining severe burns simply by falling on the pavement, which reached scorching temperatures.
Doctors in parts of Arizona say that up to a third of patients in their burn units are victims who were injured in this way.
And the phenomenon has life-threatening consequences. Half of the patients in intensive care units are people who fall and burn themselves, said Dr Kevin Foster, director of burn services at Valleywise Health in Phoenix.
Phoenix has experienced triple-digit temperatures for 24 days straight and Arizona is one of more than