Jun 19, 2024 By Paul Paterra and Jon Andreasi 5 min read

With temperatures expected to hit the high 90s all week and an excessive heat warning in effect until Friday night, cooling shelters have been opened for folks in need of a place to escape the heat.

Washington County opened at least 26 cooling shelters, including 12 at local senior centers.

“The current heatwave is a cause for concern for our county and emergency services,” said Nick Sherman, chairman of the Washington County Board of Commissioners. “To provide a safe haven from the soaring temperatures, we have established cooling shelters. We extend an invitation to everyone, especially our seniors, who may be struggling to beat the heat, to take relief in our facilities. We want to ensure that everyone stays safe and comfortable during this challenging week.”

The National Weather Service in Pittsburgh on Tuesday upgraded its heat advisory to an excessive heat warning for counties including Washington and Fayette through Friday, with multiple days of heat index values of 100 to 110 degrees.

Extreme heat and humidity, with little relief at night – when overnight low temperatures are forecast to be above 70 degrees – could create heat-related illness, particularly for those outdoors.

The Washington Area Senior Citizens Center, 69 W. Maiden St., is among available cooling shelters.

Lynne Cowden, administrative assistant and finance manager, said Tuesday afternoon that no one had stopped in yet. “We were also a warming center in the winter and only one person came in and he didn’t stay. There’s nobody here. I was surprised.”

Such was the case at Charleroi Fire Station at 328 Fallowfield Ave. Matt Prentice, fire captain, said the fire department is available for anyone in need.

“We’re open. The air conditioning is on and the fridge is open and filled with cold water,” he said. “Anybody can stop in, get cooled off and have some cold water to drink.”

Donora Mayor Don Pavelko said the borough building at 601 Meldon Ave. is available from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. for the rest of the week.

“There’s some light refreshments and water,” he said. “I haven’t heard of anybody coming in yet. When Thursday comes and (the temperature) is 97, I think we might start seeing some action.”

Three cooling shelters are available in California: the borough building at 225 Third St., Center in the Woods adult day care center at 130 Woodland Court, and California United Methodist Church at 227 Third St.

West Alexander United Methodist Church, 58 N. Liberty Road, will be open from noon to 8 p.m. Wednesday through Friday.

“We’re going to have some snacks and cold water for people while they’re sitting here,” said the Rev. Jacob Judy, the church’s pastor. “It’s a place to hang out. We have volunteers here in two four-hour shifts. We haven’t had anybody stop in yet, but maybe as people exhaust their resources and are looking for something to eat, we’ll be here. We’re ready to receive people as needed.”

According to the Washington County Department of Public Safety, other senior centers being used as cooling shelters include Burgettstown, Canonsburg, Monongahela, Charleroi, Beth-Center in Vestaburg and Claysville.

Others shelters include Bentleyville Fire Department, Carroll Township Social Center, Cecil Township Volunteer Fire Companies 1, 2 and 3, Chartiers Township Municipal Center, Cross Creek Township Building, Denbo Vesta Six Volunteer Fire Department, Dunlevy Recreation Building, Marianna Borough Building, Cecil Township Community Center, South Strabane Fire Department and Thomas Campbell Apartments.

There are a number of cooling shelters in Fayette County as well, including the Connellsville Area Senior Center at 100 E. Fayette St.

“It’s open during the day, and we have it until 7 p.m. each night,” said Vern Ohler, city clerk. “As the week goes on, we will keep it open. I don’t know if we’re going to revisit it come the weekend. Our director has been keeping in touch with all of the seniors to make sure they have (air conditioning) and are taken care of. So far, so good. No complaints at all.”

Ohler said as of late Tuesday morning, no one had taken advantage of the cooling shelter.

Don Ringer, mayor of South Connellsville and president of the borough’s fire department, said no one had visited the cooling shelter at the fire station at 1527 Pittsburgh St. As is the case when the weather turns bitter cold, the fire station is available in extreme heat.

“Our fire station has always been equipped for a cooling center in the summer and a warming center in the wintertime,” Ringer said. “We’ll be open if anybody comes in and needs to get out of the heat. Just walk right in. It’s tough on everybody, this weather.”

Brownsville Mayor Ross Swords stated on the Fayette County Emergency Management Agency Facebook page that arrangements were made with the borough’s volunteer fire companies and ambulance service to serve as cooling centers for those in need.

They are Brownsville Fire Company No. 1, 520 Market St; South Brownsville Fire Company No. 1, 530 Water St., and Brownsville Ambulance Service, 12 Arch St.

According to the Greene County Department of Human Services, the basement at First United Methodist Church in Waynesburg is open. Cold water is available for people there as well.

In light of the extreme temperatures, some communities have banned burning.

In Fayette County, Connellsville and Dunbar Township issued burn bans. The Fayette County Emergency Management Agency recommends keeping an eye on your municipality’s social media account to see if a burn ban is enacted.

In a post to its Facebook page, EMA recommended avoiding burning in excessive heat.

“Open burning during excessive heat can cause a threat to both property and firefighters,” the post reads.

According to EMA, the heat combined with the weight of the equipment puts firefighters at risk for heat stress, which can lead to injuries due to the weight of protective clothing and the extreme heat conditions. Heat stress can cause muscle fatigue and overexertion, which can lead to injuries and even death.