Western states are seeing a near-record high heat wave with at least 11 states reporting triple-digit temperatures, which aren't going away soon. The National Weather Service, the U.S. government agency that provides weather forecasts and severe weather warnings, announced that more than 45 million people in the Western region are under a heat advisory or excessive heat warning. Phoenix temperatures hit 115 degrees, falling just short of a daily record set in 1974 but marking the highest temperature in the city so far this year. Wildfire smoke from nearby Telegraph Fire was lowering the temperature in the city. Palm Springs, California, hit 117 degrees, appearing to break the record high temperature for June 15 set in 1961. In Texas, the Energy Reliability Council of Texas is asking residents to conserve energy to avoid rolling blackouts. Power plants have already had unexpected outages, losing enough power to darken 2.4 million homes. Temperatures have also made it tougher to fight wildfires that have exploded in size, triggering evacuations and destroying an undetermined number of homes. Furious winds have stoked the flames and forced the crash-landing of a firefighting helicopter. The weather service said that residents "enduring the abnormal heat" are urged to stay hydrated and avoid extended periods of time outdoors if possible.