Shades of Hades : Losers: The day outdoors went from simmer to sizzle for many. And for some stuck inside, it was the devil to pay.

For the hottest of the hot--those who must work outdoors or without air conditioning, no matter the weather--Wednesday was as harsh an endurance test as it comes.

Among the city’s mail carriers and grave diggers, its road workers and pizza deliverers, there was little respite from the searing temperatures. The outdoors felt practically refreshing for employees of an aluminum anodizing factory in East Los Angeles, who work in walk-in ovens that push the 425-degree mark.

“I try to step outside for a minute every now and then to cool off,” said Oscar Cansino as he dipped a row of aluminum baseball bats into a vat of steaming chemicals.

The conduct of these heat-tolerant people is a lesson to those fortunate enough to spend their days in air-conditioned comfort: they consume gallons of water, usually wear hats, go to work earlier and rest as often as the boss allows.

“Any time I find a hose I just kind of drench myself,” said Mario Tiscareno, a mail carrier in East Los Angeles. “But it doesn’t seem to help much today.”

City employee Robert McDermott, who installs traffic signals, said he chooses to work at shady corners on hot days, whenever possible. But Wednesday he ended up at a sun-scorched intersection near Cal State Los Angeles.

Many roofers, who toil over hot tar kettles on rooftops where temperatures can reach 160 degrees, were allowed to stay home or work shorter days on Wednesday, company dispatchers said. It was the least they could do. On Tuesday, workers from the Hollywood Roofing Co. had suffered nosebleeds and elsewhere in the city roofers reported feeling faint.

“My hot-mopping crew, they are only working a half-day. . . . They’re drinking Gatorade and taking salt tablets,” said Harold Twardowski, owner of Azusa Roofing Co. in Azusa.

Because of the heat, some outdoor workers had to speed up rather than slow down. In less than two hours, Juan (Weasel) Rizo, 23, a pizza deliveryman, filled 15 downtown lunch orders--more than twice the norm--all on bicycle.

“People don’t want to go out of their offices, not even to eat,” said Rizo, his sweat-soaked shirt testament to his dedication.

Firefighters sweltered in their insulated coats all over town as numerous blazes broke out. At the Los Angeles County Fire Department headquarters, firefighter specialist Rex Fisk sweated for the television cameras while his boss, Fire Chief P. Michael Freeman, called off a fireworks fire-danger demonstration because he feared that the heat and wind would turn the controlled burn into a true catastrophe.

“It’s terrible. It’s like a sauna in here,” Fisk said of his garments, sweat trickling from his sideburns.

In those buildings that are not air conditioned, even indoor work proved grueling. In the corner grocery stores, in the neighborhood beauty parlors, in the garment district’s sewing factories, people had to make do with electric fans that did little more than circulate the stifling air.

A downtown restaurateur kept his grill on full blast. “I have to keep the grill on. That’s the only kind of food we serve,” said Kenneth Tsuji as he cradled an order of scrambled eggs, bacon and refried beans at Vivian’s Coffee Shop on Main Street.

The air from five fans didn’t do much to lessen the heat at Bristol Creation, a sewing contractor on 7th Street. Owner Roberta Bristol, who also operates a sewing machine, held up a half-assembled rayon blouse.

“I haven’t even put together 20 pieces,” she said. She said she could complete twice as many if she “didn’t have to cool off every minute or get up and get something to drink.”

As the mercury rose, productivity sank. It was a case of diminishing returns. And many shop owners in buildings without air conditioning simply gave in and sent their workers home early.

Teachers at year-round schools without air conditioning loaded up on iced tea and tried in vain to hold their students’ attention.

At Teresa Hughes Elementary School in Cudahy, most windows were sealed so hall doors were propped open as maintenance crews worked to fix a faulty air conditioner. “We’re just trying to survive,” said office assistant Sylvia Sandoval.

At Reseda Elementary School in the San Fernando Valley, there is no air conditioning. Administrators called for a shortened day, sending children home at 12:20 p.m. They said they would do the same Thursday if the heat persists.

Teachers agreed that little learning could take place in classrooms where temperatures hit 90 degrees and above. “They’re so hot, poor things,” said Carol Marderosian, a fourth-grade teacher. “There’s lots of nosebleeds, their stomachs hurt, their faces are red.”

There are tasks worse than working out in the sun or inside a building without air conditioning. Just ask construction worker Jesse Rodriguez, 31, who had finished jack-hammering pavement in front of the downtown Imperial Bank Tower.

When the temperature gets into the hundreds, the toughest of his duties is digging small tunnels to accommodate telephone conduit just below the street. Because of the cramped space, he has to shovel dirt with his hands, he said, and “the dirt soaks up the heat and gets much hotter than the air.”

Stabbing his shovel into a mound of asphalt, Rodriguez voiced the sentiments of many other Angelenos whose jobs gave them no choice but to work through the record-breaking weather: “I’ve never felt this hot before.”

Times staff writers Berkeley Hudson, Josh Meyer and Jocelyn Y. Stewart contributed to this report.

HOT WEATHER TIPS: B3