As temperatures soared to 40.9 degrees in Sydney yesterday, police rushed to save four children trapped in a hot car after witnesses spotted them crying as they walked by.
Sydney Morning Herald reports that the woman driving them had allegedly left them locked in a hot car in the Officeworks car park at Bankstown as she left the scene, and she later cooperated with police.
The youngest child was six years old, and the others were seven, eight, and nine years old. A witness called police at 3pm to report the incident, and police and paramedics soon arrived at the scene.
They were helped from the car by witnesses and were unharmed.
The 44-year-old woman was charged with leaving a child or young person in a motor vehicle causing emotional distress.
Police have issued warnings that on a hot summer’s day, the temperature inside a car can reach 50 or even 60 degrees, even when the car windows are rolled down, which can be incredibly dangerous.
Children left in hot cars could be at risk of suffering heat stroke, which can lead to high fever, dehydration, seizures, stroke and potentially death. Police have urged witnesses to call 000 to report any incidents they see.
The woman will appear in court in Bankstown Local Court on February 22.
