Author: KYMA

Danyelle Burke North

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY-TV) – Good news for Yuma and Imperial County both setting record temperatures across the desert Wednesday. We will continue to keep you updated in our newscasts if we break any records two days in a row.

According to the National Weather Service (NWS), the past August 6th record was 115 in Yuma in 1995 and 114 in El Centro in 2018. NWS officially announced Thursday that Yuma tied that record at 115 and El Centro broke the record by one degree at 115.

 A Weather Authority First Alert ACTION DAY REMAINS in effect through Friday for the Desert Southwest, as we will need to take action for the dangerously hot conditions.

An Excessive Heat Warning is in effect for both Yuma and Imperial Counties until 8 p.m. Friday for the major heat risks and highs up to 119 degrees. 

The NWS warns of major Heat Risk is in portions of southwest Arizona and southeast California.

They remind everyone to take heat precautions and be alert of overexposure to prevent heat related illnesses such as heat cramps, heat exhaustion, or heat stroke. Take advantage of local free cooling centers and water sites to help stay cool. You can find a full list here. 

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Eduardo Morales

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – With possible record breaking temperatures Wednesday, and Thursday, the Yuma Fire Department (YFD) shares how they keep their crews safe.

“It’s not secret that Yuma is one of the hottest places on Earth so the Yuma Fire Department’s had to be creative,” said Fire Captain David Padilla.

In order to better ensure the firefighters’ safety, YFD has set up a rehabilitation vehicle. The vehicle comes equipped with swamp coolers and additional water.

They will also have a rehab division which is a crew assigned to monitor the firefighters.

“Our crews are getting rehabilitated getting plenty of fluids, whether that’s through, you know, our sports drinks like electrolytes, or taking supplements that way, we monitor their vital signs. Once they’re cleared for the incident, they go back to their stations,” says Capt. Padilla.

Padilla describes how it feels to be out battling fire in triple-digit temperatures.

“It’s rough and so days like today where we’re hitting 115, 116, we have to be cognizant of it, we limit our training during the day, and we try to limit how much our members are outside,” he said.

Padilla also shares how they train and prepare throughout these hot summer days.

“Our dispatchers are monitoring the different flag levels, we have green, red, and black, if it’s a red flag  day we’re limiting out door activity, if it’s a black flag day then we’re doing zero outdoor activity aside from running 911 calls,” he says.

However, just because it’s a black flag day does not mean they stop preparing.

“We reduce our training we keep our guys indoors, they do indoor training whether that’s on a computer, but we limit how much they’re outside, we want them to be as close to 100% if we get a working incident,” said Padilla.

After a fire, if anyone is feeling sick, they get checked out and bring in replacements to work in their shift.

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Paul Vozzella

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – On Tuesday evening, a school bus caught fire on Interstate 8 near Araby Road.

Thankfully, there were no injuries reported. However, the incident raised concern among the community, especially for parents.

Firefighters were able to extinguish the fire from the front of the vehicle before it spread to the back, but there were some challenges.

“Being an alternative fuel vehicle presented additional challenges, just because of the hazards that come with propane and finding a shutoff valve for it,” Yuma Fire Department Public Information Officer Francisco Leon said.

As for future use of school buses, the school district is adamant that transporting students in a secure manner is priority number one.

“I want to reaffirm to our families that this is a safe mode of transportation,” District One Communications and Community Engagement Coordinator Christine McCoy said. “We take this instance very seriously. We will investigate and determine the cause of this, and we’ll share that information with the community, so that they’re aware, as well, what the cause was.”

The good news is the district does not expect to encounter such a problem in the future.

“What I can say is our school buses undergo regular maintenance, so this really was an event that we haven’t seen in the past, and don’t expect to see in the future,” McCoy stated.

The investigation on what led to the propane sparking is still ongoing.

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Andrea Turisk

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – Yuma’s intense heat can be more than just uncomfortable. It can be life threatening and with temperatures soaring well over 100 degrees, heat related illnesses are a serious concern.

Dr. Donald Hubbard, medical director and emergency medicine physician at Exceptional Community Hospital Yuma, helps us recognize the signs of heat related illnesses and understand what to do in an emergency.

“You have to be aware, especially when you’re working in the heat, and especially if you’re not used to it. One of the things is you need to drink plenty of fluids. Water is certainly an acceptable, acceptable fluid. You should probably drink 8 ounces about every 20 minutes if you’re working out in the heat,” he said.

Dr. Hubbard says there are signs to look out for when it comes to heat related illness.

“Heat illness is just if you start to get very just tired, fatigued, no energy, that’s a sign that you’re not hydrated enough. It’s also a sign that your body temperature may be going up. That would be the first sign that you probably need to cool off and, and drink some fluids,” he explained.

Hubbard says there comes a point where symptoms could turn into hospital visit.

“At any point that you feel like you need to be seen, you probably need to be seen. But if you’re not sweating, if you are thirsty, and you’re drinking water and it’s not helping, if your heart rate is elevated, those are definitely signs that you probably need to be seen,” Hubbard remarked.

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Manoah Tuiasosopo

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – August is Overdose Awareness Month and a local organization is working to shed light on the ongoing crisis.

Sonoran Prevention Works is an Arizona non-profit that focuses on harm reduction, a strategy aimed at reducing the harmful consequences of drug use and preventing overdoses.

Mayra Valdovinos, a Syringe Service Specialist at Sonoran Prevention Works, says “We obviously don’t encourage people to use but we do encourage people to be safe.”

The organization provides resources including Narcan and Naloxone, life-saving medications that can reverse opioid overdose

Valdovinos says her goal is to break the stigmas surrounding overdose and create a safe space for those seeking help.

“We just want to make sure that the people that are seeking the services, they’re not being looked down at. Make sure they feel safe enough and that based on the needs that they have, they get the proper treatment,” she explains.

She emphasizes that overdose prevention isn’t just a job for professionals, it’s a community effort.

“When it comes down to overdoses, we just don’t know when it’s going to happen, and it can happen to anyone, regardless of the age group. This is why it’s important to get this harm reduction education out there and educate people how to use the naloxone properly.”

Last year, Valdovinos organized a community event that brought together dozens of families to mourn loved ones lost to overdose and this year that tradition continues.

“It’s a beautiful event. We end up with a candle light vigil and a name reading at the end of the event. That’s like the main thing that we do. We will continue to fight and we will continue save lives.”

This year’s Annual Overdose Awareness walk takes place on August 30 at the Yuma Heritage Library.

The event is free and open to the public, with free Narcan, Naloxone, and training available to all who attend.

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Danyelle Burke North

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY-TV) – A Weather Authority First Alert ACTION DAY is NOW in effect through Friday for the Desert Southwest, as we will need to take action for the dangerously hot conditions.

An Excessive Heat Warning is NOW in effect for both Yuma and Imperial Counties, until 8 p.m. Friday for the major heat risks and highs up to 118 degrees.

Remember these types of temperatures are dangerous, and we MUST practice heat safety to prevent heat-related illnesses. Heat-related illnesses increase significantly during extreme heat conditions, including heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke. 

According to the National Weather Service, we could see dangerously hot conditions with afternoon temperatures 106 to 118 degrees in parts of southwest Arizona and southeast California. Stay tuned in our newscasts for announcements if we beat or tie any records in Yuma and Imperial County. The current record highs  for today are 115 in Yuma in 1995 and 116 in El Centro in 2018.

There are cooling centers in Yuma County and Imperial Valley.

You can find a full list here. 

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Marcos Icahuate

EL CENTRO, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) – The Imperial County Firefighter’s Association says a strike team was deployed to assist with the Rosa Fire.

The team consists of the following people:

Captain J. Ruiz

Captain T. Morales

Fire Engineer E. Huerta

Firefighter O. Gallegos

The Rosa Fire began in Riverside County on August 4. It’s nearing the area of the Santa Rosa Reservation.

Cause of the fire is under investigation and evacuation orders have been sent out.

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Madeline Murray

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – The Yuma Fire Department (YFD) and Rural Metro Fire are warning the community about the dangers of leaving kids in hot cars.

In Phoenix, a father of four was arrested last month after Phoenix police officers responded to reports of kids left inside of a hot car.

After the kids were rescued, their father, a 38-year-old man, was arrested and booked on eight felony charges, including child abuse.

According to Kids and Car Safety, in 2024, 39 children died from being left in hot cars, making heat stroke a leading cause of death for children.

In 2025 alone, 19 children have died in hot cars, three of them being in one week.

KYMA spoke with the Yuma Police Department (YPD) to see if this was a problem in our community.

“In reference to cars and kids, we do get calls every now and then during the summer time, of you know, ‘Hey, there’s kids being left in a car.’ Don’t leave your kids in the car, even if your running into a Circle K or a store really quickly, don’t leave your kids unattended in a car. First of all, it’s just not safe,” said Sgt. Lori Franklin, Public Information Officer for YPD.

YPD would like to remind the community to stay hydrated, keep your kids indoors during the peak heat of the day, and never leave them in the car.

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Marcos Icahuate

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – A school bus from Yuma School District One caught fire Tuesday, according to the Yuma Elementary School District.

School Bus #25 caught fire on August 5, at about 4:30 p.m. while traveling eastbound on Interstate 8.

No students were on board and the bus driver made it out safely, according to the school district.

The fire is under investigation.

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Abraham Retana

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – A local non-profit agency is hosting an event to boost small businesses.

The Small Business Development Center (SBDC) is having a franchise 101 workshop.

Attendees will learn if their business can be turned into a franchise and steps to shift from a business to a franchise model.

The event is on Wednesday from 3:30 to 5 p.m. at the AWC Small Business Development Center.

“When a business is franchisable, you need to have the set standards of what measurements, what the policies are and what the procedures are. So, Louie Picazo will be our presenter and will cover more on that,” explained Mayra Franquez, business counselor at AWC SBDC.

The event is free.

The AWC Small Business Development Center is located on south Redondo Center Drive near 16th Street.

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