6 dead in Florida nursing home due to intense heat, loss of power

(WJBK) - Broward County Mayor Barbara Sharief now says six people have died from a Florida nursing home that had lost power after Hurricane Irma roared through the state.

Police and fire crews began evacuating the Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills on Wednesday morning. Sharief confirmed during a news conference that three residents died at the center and two died at the hospital.

Sharief said there are no details about the cause of the deaths. No further details were immediately available.

Hollywood Fire Rescue and police told WSVN on Wednesday a total of 120 people were evacuated at The Rehabilitation Center in Hollywood Hills due to intense heat and no power. Sharief confirmed the five deaths but it wasn't immediately clear if the deaths were related to heat.

Temperatures in Hollywood were expected to be around 86 degrees on Wednesday -- but feel about 10 degrees warmer.

Three deaths occurred at the nursing home, and two deaths took place during transport to a nearby hospital, Sharief said.

In central Florida, FOX 35 reported that two people were found dead inside a home while a third was found dead on the front lawn. Those deaths are believed to have been caused by carbon monoxide poisoning when a generator was found inside the home that officials believe was running.

In the Miami area, a Coral Gables apartment building was evacuated after authorities determined a lack of power made it unsafe for elderly tenants, while officers arrived at the huge Century Village retirement community in Pembroke Pines to help people on upper floors without access to working elevators. More than half the community of 15,000 residents lacked power.

Also, at least five people died and more than a dozen were treated for breathing carbon monoxide fumes from generators in the Orlando, Miami and Daytona Beach areas.

Aside from the nursing home deaths, at least 13 people in Florida were killed in Irma-related circumstances, in some cases during the cleanup, well after the storm. A Tampa man died after the chainsaw he was using to remove branches kicked back and cut his carotid artery.

The number of people without electricity in the steamy late-summer heat dropped to 9.5 million -- just under half of Florida's population. Utility officials warned it could take 10 days or more for power to be fully restored. About 110,000 people remained in shelters across the state.

While nearly all of Florida was engulfed by the massive storm, the Keys -- home to about 70,000 people -- appeared to be the hardest hit. Drinking water and power were cut off, all three of the islands' hospitals were closed, and gasoline was extremely limited.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.