In the middle of a record-setting heat wave, two children were left in a van in a Chilliwack Walmart parking lot on Sunday.
RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Mike Rail confirmed police were called out to Eagle Landing around 7 p.m. on June 27 along with firefighters and BC Ambulance paramedic.
He said a three-year-old and a 12-year-old were immediately removed from the van by officers, and he said they B次元官网网址渨ere OK.B次元官网网址� They were taken by ambulance to hospital and are now with their father.
The mother, a 32-year-old woman, was located in Walmart around 8 p.m. and was arrested at the scene. Rail noted at she was allegedly in possession of a substance contrary to the Controlled Drug and Substance Act.
She was later released and the police investigation continues into why the children were left in the van to wait on a day when the temperature outside got as high as 42.2 C.
People commenting on Facebook were appalled.
B次元官网网址淓ven after being paged to go to their car, an hour went by and they still werenB次元官网网址檛 coming,B次元官网网址� Channy Kiniak wrote.
B次元官网网址淥mg who would do this do they not understand how quickly this could kill them??B次元官网网址� Marcy Barrett added.
Several posters suggested the vehicleB次元官网网址檚 windows should have been smashed to free the kids, but Rail said bystanders did the right thing by calling police.
Smashing a vehicleB次元官网网址檚 windows in can have consequences if you arenB次元官网网址檛 100 per cent certain what the situation is.
B次元官网网址淔irst responders were there quickly and got the children out of the vehicle right away,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚t is a good reminder that people should use caution when leaving children in a vehicle for any length of time on any kind of hot day, but especially at a time when weB次元官网网址檙e experiencing record-breaking temperatures.B次元官网网址�
According to , a childB次元官网网址檚 body heats up three to five times faster than an adultB次元官网网址檚 does, and major organs begin to shut down when his/her core temperature reaches 40 C. A child can die when his/her core temperature reaches 41.6 C.
According to , a study funded by General Motors of Canada found that after 20 minutes, the air temperature in a previously air-conditioned small car exposed to the sun on a 35-c day climbed to 50 C, and within 40 minutes, it rose to 65.5 C.
The study noted that leaving a window slightly open did little to prevent the inside the vehicle from becoming dangerously hot.
eric.welsh@theprogress.com
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