West bakes in triple-digit heat

LAS VEGAS, Nevada (CNN) -- Temperatures reaching the 120s left millions holed up indoors Friday and made leaders in the West nervous about the strain on their cities' electric grids.

In Las Vegas -- which Thursday tied its highest-recorded temperature ever, 117 degrees Fahrenheit -- transformers overheated, causing electrical pole fires as people cranked up their air conditioners, said Scott Allison of the Clark County Fire Department. Several areas have lost power for a few hours at a time, he said.

Allison said such things happen each summer during the worst heat.

The city knows of no heat-related deaths, but there have been some emergency calls, some involving people who were drinking alcohol and not staying hydrated, he said.

To the west, in Needles, California, Mayor Jeff Williams said the city was "trying to have people conserve" power. At 3:30 a.m. Friday, the temperature was a sweltering 94 degrees. The city expected to hit 124 degrees Friday afternoon, he said.

Needles is asking residents to keep their air conditioners up at 78 degrees "at least" and to hold off on such tasks as laundry or vacuuming until evening, Williams said. Watch as the oppressive heat is overwhelming Westerners »

Seventy-eight degrees might feel frigid compared with outdoor conditions that have led the National Weather Service to issue excessive heat warnings for a swath of the West that includes Las Vegas and parts of southwest California.

"An excessive heat warning means that a prolonged period of dangerously hot temperatures will occur," the weather service says. "The combination of hot temperatures and high humidity will combine to create a dangerous situation in which heat illnesses are likely. Drink plenty of fluids. Stay in an air-conditioned room. Stay out of the sun. And check up on relatives and neighbors."

Williams said the temperature on July Fourth reached 128 which, when officially registered, will be a record, beating the city's highest recorded temperature of 125 two years ago.

The problem for much of the West isn't just the heat -- it's the humidity as well.

"We observed a 1 percent relative humidity last week, which is ridiculously dry," said Brian Fuis, a spokesman for the Las Vegas weather service. "It's true. It is dry heat, but it's hot nonetheless."

Hot, dry conditions meant trouble for firefighters. Four firefighters battling a wildfire near Santa Barbara, California, had to be treated for heat exhaustion Thursday, The Associated Press reported.

"It's a matter of too much work and too much heat," Santa Barbara County Fire Capt. Eli Iskow told the AP.

Many areas -- such as Clark County, Nevada -- which includes Las Vegas -- opened cooling shelters.

In Phoenix, Arizona, hydration centers have been opened, and firefighters and police are carrying drinking water to distribute to the homeless, Mayor Phil Gordon said.

Forecasts suggest the 100-plus temperature readings will reach all the way up to Billings, Montana, on Friday.

"Once it gets that high -- 105, 107, 109 -- it just feels hot," Rick Overton, a copywriter for the digital marketing firm in Boise, Idaho, told the AP, saying he and his colleagues went river tubing to beat the heat Thursday.

In Orofino, Idaho, a boy approximately 15 months old was discovered dead Wednesday night after being locked in a car amid stifling heat, police said.

Meanwhile in Texas, heavy rain Friday left much of the eastern half of the state under flood warnings.

The National Weather Service warned people to avoid driving through drenched roads.

"Most flood deaths occur in automobiles. Do not drive through flooded areas," the weather service said. "Two feet of rushing water can carry away most vehicles, including SUVs and pickups." E-mail to a friend

Copyright 2007 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.

All About Wildfires • Weather • Nevada