With the temperatures soaring well into the triple digits last week, at least one Selma resident may have died from the heat while other residents did all they could to remain cool.

Despite temperatures reaching near 110 to 112 degrees, neither Selma nor the Kingsburg fire departments reported any responses for heat-related medical emergencies.

However, a Valley newspaper reported that Ramiro Carillo of Selma died -- possibly from the heat. The Fresno County coroner's office told the Enterprise and Recorder that the cause of death is still pending.

Meanwhile, citizens did a variety of things to stay cool.

Selma-based farmer Ben Letizia said he was cranking up the air conditioning in his vehicle, since he does a lot of driving during the day.

As for his own home, Letizia said his work schedule is such that he doesn't need to worry about cooling his house during the day.

"I leave early and get home late, so I let my wife worry about the house," he said.

For Israel McKennie, a soon-to-be sophomore at Kingsburg High, ducking the sun's rays is one way he keeps cool.

"I try to stay in the shade as much as possible, and I usually just go swimming," McKennie said.

To help residents stay cool, both Selma and Kingsburg have emergency cooling centers for those without immediate access air conditioning.

In Selma, the city offers two cooling centers to the public: the Selma Senior Center, located at 2301 Selma St., and Selma City Hall, located at 1710 Tucker St.

However, the city of Selma has certain policies governing when these locations are open to the public as cooling stations.

Specifically, if the city expects temperatures to exceed 105 degrees during a three-day period, those locations will become cool centers from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., according Mikal Kirchner, recreation and community services director. In the event that the temperature stays above 105 degrees for three days, the Senior Center will also be open at night until 8 p.m. as it was last Wednesday, Kirchner said.

The Senior Center and City Hall will also be designated cooling centers if the city experiences a prolonged power outage.

Still, Kirchner added, there are other places citizens can cool off as well.

"We (also) encourage people to take advantage of the library and shopping centers," he said.

In Kingsburg, things are slightly different.

According to City Manager Don Pauley, Kingsburg has four buildings available for use as cooling centers.

However, the program runs on an as-needed basis.

"If an individual contacts the city or is identified by a public agency as needing a center, we activate a call-out program," he said.

Because of this, the location of the cooling center will vary.

"We base it upon the moment in time and the day of the week," Pauley said.

Pauley also noted there are a few reasons for this.

The first is that there isn't a high demand for the program in Kingsburg, he said.

In fact, there's been only one time when a cooling center was needed. This was last week, Pauley said, when a resident wanted to use a cooling center due to a power outage at their home. Even then, the citizen declined to use the facility after their power was turned back on.

Also, many of these buildings are used during the day. So in some instances, the city would have to modify where it holds a cooling station, Pauley said.

Regardless, if citizens need to use a cooling facility, Pauley said they shouldn't call Kingsburg City Hall.

"We want them calling the police department. Dispatchers have specific instructions on who to call," he said.

Other city officials, including local firefighters, have also offered tips for citizens to stay cool during periods of intense heat.

"The best thing is staying hydrated, some people don't realize caffeine and alcohol will dehydrate you," said Kingsburg Fire Chief Gary Rocha.

Other tips Rocha gave include trying to stay in the shade, as well as limiting one's activities outside to the mornings and evenings, when temperatures are cooler outside. He also said that citizens should monitor younger children and seniors who are outside, since those age ranges are susceptible to heat-related illnesses.

The Selma Fire Department's Sid Chacon has a few extra tips as well.

"The biggest thing is staying indoors in an air conditioned area if possible," said the fire inspector and public information officer.

This is especially important given the smoke in the air due to all the fires around the state, Chacon said.

Besides drinking plenty of water, Chacon said other ways citizens can keep cool include wearing light colored clothing, using an umbrella when outside and putting on sunscreen.