RESIDENTS TOUGH OUT SCORCHING HEAT ELECTRICITY USAGE SOARS; OUTAGES HIT SOME AREAS.

Byline: CONNIE LLANOS and CHARLES F. BOSTWICK Staff Writers

WOODLAND HILLS -- On the 17th day of a record heat wave, San Fernando Valley temperatures topped out in Woodland Hills at 119 degrees -- three degrees above the record maximum set 21 years earlier.

The mercury Saturday hit 115 degrees in Pacoima, 114 in Chatsworth, 112 in Van Nuys and 112 in Burbank -- one degree below the 35-year-old record in that city -- while power circuits overloaded by hard-running air conditioners failed in 11,000 Valley homes and businesses.

But Valley residents were obviously taking care of themselves -- or else were tougher than the heat. Northridge Hospital Medical Center and Providence Holy Cross Medical Center officials both reported no unusual number of patients with heat-related ailments.

``Hey, we've survived the heat before, we'll survive it now,'' said 73- year-old Mike Provenzano, a Simi Valley resident who was at the Canoga Park Senior Center Saturday.

Los Angeles firefighters were dispatched Saturday to at least 11 heat- exposure calls, most in the Valley, though a department spokesman said other people overcome by heat were undoubtedly reported with other conditions such as chest pains or difficulty breathing.

There were six heat-exposure calls Friday, and one the day before.

``The number of heat-related incidents are increasing as the temperature rises,'' fire department spokesman Brian Ballton said. ``We encourage all to stay hydrated in the heat, particularly the elderly and the very young.''

Electricity outages hit communities including Canoga Park, Granada Hills, North Hollywood, Sun Valley and Porter Ranch, as well as about a thousand customers elsewhere in Los Angeles, Department of Water and Power officials said.

``It's heat-related,'' DWP spokeswoman Gail Harris said. ``We are asking customers to conserve energy as much as possible.''

Energy consumption by DWP customers peaked Saturday afternoon at 5,765 megawatts, a record for a weekend, and just below the all-time consumption peak of 5,868 megawatts reached the day before.

But the record temperatures and high humidity failed to daunt many Valley residents.

Construction worker Eraclio Monarca was laying concrete for driveways and wheelchair ramps at the Topanga Canyon Mall. He said he could feel his heart beating faster from the heat -- a common symptom of excess heat exposure.

``I have to take a break every 15 to 20 minutes,'' he said, ``but I have a responsibility to my job to make it in, and I have plenty of bills to pay.''

Woodland Hills resident Peter Daniels didn't let the heat keep him from his gardening project, as he loaded sod and fencing into his pickup truck in the Woodland Hills Home Depot parking lot.

``I just hydrate with beer, and garden in my underwear,'' said Daniels, a transportation coordinator for a retirement home.

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Ernie Tengel, left, cools off with a bottle of water as Bob Gibbs prepares to take a shot in a game of pool Saturday at the Canoga Park Senior Center.

Joe Binoya/Special to the Daily News