Salinas fire officials urging caution to parents as temperatures heat up

The soaring temperatures have caused the first hot car death in California, taking the life of a toddler.

That death happened yesterday in Mendocino County when a mother left her 18-month-old son in a car for ten hours…temperatures reaching 95 degrees outside.

It’s a terrible thing to hear and local fire officials tell us it happens more often than many realize.

Minutes.

That’s all the time it takes to turn your car into a literal oven.

Salinas Paramedic Fire Captain Steven Criste tells us their response to these types of calls skyrocket during summer months.

“It only takes ten minutes for a vehicle to increase 20 degrees, so let’s say it’s 80 degrees like we normally have here in the summer, it’s actually 100 degrees inside of your vehicle.”

When the sun is glaring down, even in the shade cars can become lethal for children and pets. So far, there have been 17 confirmed child heatstroke deaths, the latest Thursday.

“He was left in the vehicle for over 10 hours by his mother. The circumstances really aren’t clear at this point,” says Amber Rollins with “Kids and Cars.”

Officials are once again reminding parents and caretakers how dangerous leaving a child or pet inside a car can be, whether you’re running a “quick errand” or not.

“It’s a helpless situation for the child or for the pet that can be easily avoided by just helping raise awareness about the hazards as well as little reminders so that you don’t place them in that situation,” says Criste.

Reminders like leaving your cell phone or laptop in the backseat near your child…a method proving successful.

“So the whole idea is, you want to open that back door and physically get into the back seat every single time you leave your vehicle, even if you don’t have the kids with you. Even if you’re the person who never transports them,” says Rollins.

Rollins tells us one third of hot car deaths happen when a child locks themselves in the vehicle, so locking doors once everyone is out is also key to avoiding a tragedy.

Both Criste and Rollins say if you encounter a child or pet in a hot car, the most important thing to do is call 911….and then try to find the parent or vehicle owner.

If you chose to break a window, you are doing so at your own risk.