(JENNIFER STAHN / iNFOnews.ca)

Six people have died suddenly in Kamloops since June 25, when the extreme heat conditions began.

That's twice as many sudden deaths in Kamloops when compared to the same time period in 2020, according a Kamloops RCMP press release.

Police have responded to 43 well being checks directly related to the heat wave since June 25, nine more calls than last year. The B.C. Coroners Service is investigating to determine whether the deaths were directly related to the heat.

Regional Kelowna RCMP — which cover an area from Lake Country to Peachland, including Kelowna and West Kelowna, and out to Big White — have not responded to any sudden deaths in the past 48 hours. Officers have responded to 13 wellness checks during that time period related to the hot weather.

READ MORE: One more day of the heat wave pushes Okanagan and Canadian records even higher

As the heat wave continues throughout the region, police are reminding the public to seek out the City of Kamloops cooling stations when needed.

Three cooling stations are located at the Sandman Centre, South Community Church and Kamloops Alliance Church, respectively. The Sandman Centre cooling station at 300 Lorne Street is currently open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., and the Southwest Community Church cooling station at 700 Hugh Allen Drive is open from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. The Kamloops Alliance Church at 200 Leigh Road is open from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursday.

COVID-19 public health restrictions are in place at each location, including physical distancing and mandatory mask requirements, as long as the provincial orders are in place.

Kamloops also has five spray parks which will remain open between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. throughout the week. Go here for a list of where to find the spray park in Kamloops.

Many B.C. heat records were broken on Tuesday, and Environment Canada expects Kamloops and Kelowna to reach 43 C today.

The heat warning remains in place as temperatures remain above 35 C during the day and above 18 C overnight.

Go here for information on cooling centres in Kelowna, here for West Kelowna cooling centres or this link for the Peachland community centre.

Go here for tips from Interior Health on how to beat the heat.

— This story was updated at 10:37 a.m. June 30, 2021 to include information from Kelowna Regional RCMP.

— This story was updated at 2:30 p.m. June 30, 2021 to include Kamloops Alliance Church as the third cooling station in Kamloops.

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