Emergency crews attend the scene in Burnaby at Kingsway Avenue and Inman Street. Photo courtesy Twitter/@ahjayy.
RCMP say a toddler has died after being left in a vehicle for hours during a spring heat wave.
Mounties in Burnaby say officers responded late Thursday afternoon to a report of an unconscious 16-month-old who was in a car near the city’s Central Park.
RCMP say the tot was taken to hospital and declared dead.
Andy Watson with the BC Coroners Service confirms the child was a boy and says the office is in the early stages of its investigation.
Police say initial information provided to officers was that the child had been left unaccompanied in the car for a number of hours.
They say the infant’s father was found at the scene and both parents are co-operating in the investigation.
No arrests have been made.
RCMP Chief Supt. Deanne Burleigh says investigators are interviewing witnesses and can’t release further information at this time.
She says police are asking parents to be aware of the dangers of leaving children in vehicles, especially as the weather gets warmer.
“Police are also asking that parents are vigilant when transporting their children, double-checking the back seat of the vehicle to ensure it is clear before parking and leaving the vehicle,” she says in a statement.
Several heat records were broken across the province on Thursday.
In Metro Vancouver, temperatures inland reached into the mid-20s C.
The Canadian Press
