For a record-breaking 20 days, Phoenix, Ariz., has been dealing with temperatures exceeding 110 F (43 C). The weeks-long heatwave, which broke a municipal record set in 1974, has gotten so bad that residents are getting third-degree burns after touching doorknobs or falling onto the pavement.

As of July 15, at least 18 people have died of heat-associated causes in Phoenix in 2023, according to the Maricopa County Department of Public Health. Another 69 suspected heat deaths are also under investigation.

Dr. Kevin Foster is the director of the Arizona Burn Centre in Phoenix. He said these kinds of burns are expected in the summer, but this year, the incidence of burns is “twice the normal that we typically see — and it’s not immediately obvious why that is.”

Here’s part of his conversation with The Current guest host Rosemary Barton.

The summertime is always a busy time because of the hot ambient temperatures and sunlight and stuff makes it hot and makes contact burns really a common thing in the summertime.

This summer, because the temperatures are really hot right now and direct sunlight, we are seeing lots of patients who are falling down onto the concrete, pavement, asphalt, and suffering really, really deep burns as a result of that.

Anything that’s in direct sunlight and exposed to the hot temperatures outside. Another common thing we see is hot door handles, hot upholstery in cars, a variety of things within vehicles like the steering wheel, dashboards, seat belt buckles.

Then something that people don’t think about very often, but hose water or water that’s in a hose that’s outside. Oftentimes, it’s very near boiling. Even if you let it run for a while, the water in Arizona does not get cold or cool. It always stays hot.