Hundreds of families are evacuated as record-breaking heatwave gripping the Southwest kills four and feeds wildfires across three states

At least four people have died from the blistering heat that has gripped the western United States and sparked wildfire warnings across the region, authorities said on Monday. 


The dead were three hikers and a mountain biker who succumbed to the heatwave in Arizona on Sunday, where record-breaking temperatures were reported in some areas. The heatwave has fed wildfires in California, New Mexico and Arizona, forcing evacuations in some areas. Some 140 families were evacuated in the Santa Barbara area of California where some 2,000 firefighters for several days have been battling the so-called Sherpa fire that has already burned nearly 8,000 acres (3,200 hectares).