The video is chilling, especially since it could have been shot in France. While the mercury just passed 40 degrees in much of France earlier in the week, these temperatures have been the norm for several days in Arizona, a US state located in the south-east of the country.
It is in this region on the border with Mexico that Brian Enríquez’s house camera captured a shocking scene on Thursday, The Guardian reported. While this Scottsdale resident was away, a UPS delivery man staggered to the front door to deliver a package which he dropped to the ground…before collapsing to the ground under the weight of the heat. The young man stays on the ground for a few moments before getting up and ringing the bell.
“Conductors trained to cope with high temperatures”
Brian Enríquez was only able to see the images once he got home and decided to call the police and the courier company to inform them of the incident.
The video quickly got people talking across the Atlantic and UPS reacting publicly by initially stating that the driver was okay. “UPS drivers are trained to work outdoors and to deal with high temperatures,” the company said in a statement seen on national television channel NBC News. Our employee used his training to stay on top of his situation and He contacted his manager for help, which he said, he immediately did.” UPS also added that its “package delivery vehicles make frequent stops, rendering air conditioning ineffective.”
The 45 degree threshold in sight
If the scene provokes so many reactions in the United States, it is because its broadcast takes place in a context of a significant increase in temperatures throughout the territory as in the rest of the world. In Scottsdale, the mercury is currently hovering around 45 degrees and has been settling above 30 degrees for nearly a month. Last year, a record 338 people died due to hot weather in Maricopa County, where the municipality is located.
Source: BFM TV
