When the AC guy is most needed

Roberto Guerrero (left) and his son Jose work in the early morning to install a new air conditioner at a home in Phoenix, Arizona. As Phoenix slogs through a record 20 straight days of 110-degree or higher temperatures, Robert is part of perhaps the most essential workforce in town: AC repair techs. — ©2023 The New York Times Company

JOSE Guerrero’s phone buzzes from morning to midnight with sweaty pleas for help: The air-conditioner fan just quit. My grandma is stuck in a 90-degree house. My children are overheating. Please come, it’s so hot.

As Phoenix, Arizona, slogs through scorching temperatures, Jose, 33, has emerged as maybe the most essential worker in a town desperate to stay cool: the AC repair guy.