Afternoon heat in Corner Brook causes man to collapse while working

With much of the province under a heat warning by Environment Canada, a man in Corner Brook was taken to hospital after collapsing Tuesday afternoon.

A man working on the roof of a building next to Bob's Barber Shopon West Street in Corner Brookcollapsed due to extreme temperatures, emergency responders confirmed.

"It appears that a gentleman working on the upper level roof area suffered some kind of medical condition related to heat ,actually, a little bit of heat exhaustion more than anything," said Craig Harnum, the Corner Brook Fire Department'sdeputy chief.

'His co-workers were able to assist him, get him into a comfortable position until we got to the scene."

Paramedics and firefighters were called to the scene and were able to help him get off the roof. The man recovered quickly once he received assistance, Harnum said, and was taken to the hospital by ambulance for observation.

Hot weather means extra safety

The temperature in Corner Brook, which like much of the islandwas under a heat advisory, reached 25 C on Tuesday afternoon and felt like 32 C with the humidity.

The man was working on the roof, and there are some people who cannot avoid working outside during high temperatures, but it's important to stay safe if you must be out, Harnumsaid.

"It's brutal. Sometimes people just don't take it, you know, probably serious enough," he said of the heat.

"You need loads and loads of water and you need to keep yourself hydrated, and if you can get yourself away from doing that type of work in these conditions you're better off."

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