Officers smashed a car window in Amersfoort today to save a baby that had been left in the locked car. The baby is currently in good condition, RTV Utrecht reported. “With this heat, the temperature inside a car can rise very quickly. That’s why we don’t take any chances,” Amersfoort police said.
Police received a report that the car had been locked by accident with the baby and the keys inside. This led to the officers using a safety hammer to break the rear window to save the baby from the high temperatures.
In a separate incident, neighborhood officers in Den Dolder rescued a dog from a car. Police reiterated the dangers of leaving children or animals in parked vehicles during high temperatures. “So, do not leave your kids or animals in the car, unless you want a new rear window,” they warned.
Temperatures have risen to 33.2 degrees Celsius so far today, making it the hottest July 1 ever recorded in the Netherlands. Anyone left in a car can experience temperatures up to 40 degrees Celsius within 10 minutes, and it can even rise to 50 degrees Celsius within half an hour.
This was the case last year in Rotterdam when a baby died after being left in a car on the Vlaardingweg in the Overschie district. The father of the child was released by officers after questioning on that occasion.
A spokesperson for the Utrecht Safety Region told AD: “If you see that a baby or a pet has been left behind in a car and the owner is not nearby, call 112 and ask for the police. The control center will assess whether officers need to be sent or whether you might have to break a window yourself. It has to happen quickly, because with these temperatures, the heat inside a car rises extremely fast.”
Temperatures are expected to drop gradually after Tuesday. Weeronline reports that maximum temperatures on Wednesday will be 29 degrees Celsius, with the next couple of days having maximum temperatures in the low 20s.