Arizona
Arizona Burn Center sees 25% increase in contact burn patients this summer
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Despite this year’s July not being quite as hot as last year’s record heat, the Arizona Burn Center said it’s been treating a lot of contact burn patients this summer.
The Valleywise clinic has seen up to 25% more patients compared to last year, and it’s still trying to figure out why.
So far, the Arizona Burn Center has reported the following:
- 75 to 85 admissions to inpatient clinic
- Several times the amount of inpatient admissions in its outpatient clinic
- Six people died from contact burn injuries
According to director Dr. Kevin Foster, the clinic has treated a lot of people who have fallen to the ground on their backs. Dr. Foster said there’s also been an increase in treating older men, who are mostly unhoused, and their ages range from 60 to 90 years old.
“We’re anticipating that we will probably have about 150 or 160 patients total who will require hospitalization, and I’m hoping we don’t hit the same number of deaths that we had, but we’re certainly heading in that direction unfortunately,” he said.
Dr. Foster told Arizona’s Family there has always been a misunderstanding about hot surfaces and the severity of contact burns. With more extreme heat ahead this weekend, Dr. Foster said it’s important to remember this when being outside.
“In Arizona, where we have bright direct sunlight and really hot temperatures, that’s sort of a perfect storm to make surfaces hot, and you know black asphalt on a hot July afternoon in Phoenix, Arizona, can reach 170, even 180 degrees, which is a few degrees below boiling,” he said.
Dr. Foster said contact burns are completely preventable, and it’s important to know some tips to stay safe:
- Stay inside during peak hours
- Know where your loved ones are at all times
- Be aware of metal door knobs exposed to sunlight
- Don’t use playground equipment if not shaded
- Cool down the car before driving
- Avoid alcohol and other substances in the heat
- Wear light, loose-fitted clothing, durable shoes and sunblock to protect your skin
- Stay hydrated
If you or a loved one has burn injuries that are bigger than your palm or too severe for you to handle, call 911, and first responders will take you to the Arizona Burn Center for treatment.
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(Stacker) – Stacker compiled statistics on gas prices in Arizona using data from AAA. Gas prices are as of May 1.
Arizona by the numbers
– Gas current price: $4.72
– Week change: +$0.08 (+1.7%)
– Year change: +$1.41 (+42.8%)
– Historical expensive gas price: $5.39 (6/17/22)
– Diesel current price: $5.80
– Week change: -$0.08 (-1.3%)
– Year change: +$2.30 (+65.9%)
– Historical expensive diesel price: $6.21 (4/8/26)
Metros with most expensive gas in Arizona
#1. Scottsdale: $4.90
#2. Peoria: $4.84
#3. Phoenix Proper: $4.82
#4. Glendale: $4.82
#5. West Valley: $4.80
#6. Phoenix-Mesa: $4.80
#7. East Valley: $4.80
#8. Yuma: $4.75
#9. Flagstaff: $4.73
#10. Lake Havasu-Kingman: $4.70
#11. Prescott: $4.69
#12. Sierra Vista-Douglas: $4.55
#13. Tucson: $4.53
#14. Pima County: $4.53
States with the least expensive gas
#1. Georgia: $3.80
#2. Oklahoma: $3.82
#3. Mississippi: $3.83
#4. Arkansas: $3.84
#5. Louisiana: $3.84
Read on to see which states have the most expensive gas prices.
#5. Nevada
– Regular gas price: $5.15
#4. Oregon
– Regular gas price: $5.21
#3. Washington
– Regular gas price: $5.61
#2. Hawaii
– Regular gas price: $5.64
#1. California
– Regular gas price: $6.06
src=”https://analytics.stacker.com/tracking/0a06cfd3-db49-4351-b9ca-8050a3d4c4f3/script.js?source=story-hub” async>
Copyright 2026 Stacker via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
A dad visiting the Phoenix Zoo says his family was in disbelief when staff suddenly told everyone to leave. Holding his 7-month-old baby, he says the fear set in as they rushed to their car without knowing why. Police later said the bomb threat appears to have been fake. Stephanie Duprey has more.
PHOENIX — The Mammoth have generated a buzz in Utah, igniting a new fan base with a trip to the playoffs in their second season.
The previous fan base back in the desert still feels a connection with the franchise once known as the Arizona Coyotes and the players who set the foundation for its current success.
But there’s also a strange detachment from seeing the team they once rooted for playing in a city more than 600 miles away under a different name.
“I’m a hockey fan and I’ve been cheering for them; most of those guys, that team, that organization were here,” Maricopa County Supervisor Tom Galvin said on Friday. “But in many ways, I feel disconnected from them. They’re playing in Utah, they have Utah fans, they play in a Utah arena.”
Galvin is trying to bring NHL hockey back to the Phoenix area.
Not long after the Coyotes left for Utah in 2024, he helped create an advisory committee that includes former Olympian Lyndsey Fry and Andrea Doan.
Fry, who grew up in the Phoenix area, has been a stalwart in Arizona youth hockey through various programs and spearheads community relations for the committee.
Utah Mammoth left wing Brandon Tanev (13) attempts to shoot against the Vegas Golden Knights during the first period of Game 5 of a first-round NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in Las Vegas. Credit: AP/John Locher
Doan has strong ties to hockey; her husband, Shane, was the longtime captain of the Coyotes and her son, Josh, is a current NHL player who started his career with the Coyotes. She works with Galvin on finding a potential owner for a potential NHL expansion team and possible sites for a new arena.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman had repeatedly said the league would like to have a franchise in Arizona again — it owns the Coyotes name — but the right ownership and arena location have to be in place.
“We have to find a good and appropriate location for an arena — that has been an issue bedeviling the Coyotes for the better part of 25 years — and we need a billionaire to put up money to buy the team,” said Galvin, who works on the advisory committee on his own time. “So my joke is, if you know a billionaire, please let me know because there’s not that many around and that’s what it takes in professional sports these days.”
The Coyotes struggled during their 28-year run in Arizona, going through multiple owners and three different arenas.
The franchise had an arena plan for Tempe, but voters shot it down. Another proposal for an arena in Scottsdale fell through when previous owner Alex Meruelo couldn’t secure a land-rights deal, leading to the franchise’s move to Utah.
Coyotes fans have tried to keep a connection to the new version of the team, but it’s not quite the same from long distance.
“I’ve got to tell you, my enthusiasm for them really dropped off,” Galvin said. “But I do love watching hockey and enjoy watching great other teams.”
Galvin is doing his best to bring it back to Arizona in person.
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