Photo: Contributed

A small child locked in an auto in the sun, can suffer hyperthermia in a very short time

A touch and go situation ended with a van window being smashed and a child rescued from a sweltering vehicle in a parking lot at the Kelowna Walmart Store.

Emergency crews broke the back window of a white Ford SUV in the Walmart parking lot to rescue a child who had been locked in - possibly by accident. The incident took place about 12:30 p.m. earlier today.

According to at least one unconfirmed report, the child's parents had accidentally locked the keys, as well as the child, inside the car and both parents were on the scene when emergency crews from Kelowna Fire Department arrived.

Although a tow truck was called to try and unlock the vehicle, emergency crews on hand, monitoring the progress of the child all the while, eventually made the decision to smash the vehicle window and retrieve the child.

No further information was available at press time.

Hyperthermia is the term for an elevated body temperature due to acute temperature elevation. This can be caused by exposure to excessive heat or exposure to a combination of heat and humidity.

When this occurs, it can overwhelm the heat-regulating mechanisms in the body. Excessive body temperatures, over a period of time, can result in injury to the brain among other things.