After two heat-related deaths in the past week, advocates are warning senior citizens about the dangers of staying inside a hot home.

In both deaths, the victims had their air conditioners turned off. Their homes were over 90 degrees inside.

There's no question how hot it's been lately.

"Hotter than in Miami here," said Steve Budinetz of Salisbury Twp., Lehigh Co.

"Boiling!", added Ann Schrammel of Allentown.

Hot weather means cool cards at the Lehigh Co. Senior Center, where both came to cool off on Tuesday.

"To stay cool I come to the center and play cards," said Budinetz. "And go to casinos, to stay cool."

The center stays open late on stifling hot summer days.

"We've been very worried, especially with senior citizens, having to do with the extreme heat and humidity," said senior center director Rick Daugherty.

And he has reason to be worried after two elderly people died. In both cases, the victims had not turned on their air conditioning.

So why do seniors sometimes make such a risky bet?

"I don't know," said Budinetz. "Maybe they want to save money."

Daugherty believed it's a generational thing.

"They were brought up during the Great Depression, and often times, people who had that very traumatic experience in their life are extremely concerned about saving money," he said.

Think of it like the inside of your car. Tuesday's highs were only in the 80s, but inside a car, it can still get up to 120 degrees. For the elderly, similar conditions inside a house can be deadly.

"Senior citizens often times like to be warmer; they feel more comfortable if they're warmer," said Daugherty. "And it may be that they don't realize that their body is in danger, until it's too late."

It's a gamble many seniors can't afford to take.