Looks like we can expect a hot week here in the Sioux Empire, according to Dakota News Now. Because temps will be hovering in the upper 80's to low 90's most of the week, it's an excellent time to remember how quickly hot summer temperatures can turn deadly in just a matter of minutes.

You may have heard about the incident in Oklahoma over the weekend. A father in Tulsa is now starring at second-degree murder charges after forgetting his two young children in a hot truck for over four hours once he returned home from a gas station. How something like that can happen is a mystery to me, but situations like this one that put both children and pets at risk happen more often than you might think.

Dakota News Now is reporting the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says the majority of hot car deaths happen because someone forgets a child in a car.

Another leading cause is children getting into unattended vehicles. That's why it's so very important to always remember to lock your car doors and your trunk, year-round to help prevent little ones from putting themselves into danger.

Heatstroke taking place inside cars has been on the rise in recent years.

Sioux Falls Fire Rescue Division Chief, Steve Fessler, told Dakota News Now, “The fast-paced life that we live, make sure they’re aware of when they stop at the store or when they go to work, to check to see if their kids are in the back seat or not. They might have fallen asleep and are very quiet.”

Believe it or not, experts say temperatures are capable of reaching 110 degrees inside a vehicle, even if the outside temperature is as low as 57 degrees. A good thing to keep in mind as you transport your children and pets from place to place on these blistering hot summer days.

It doesn't take long for a car to heat up, that's why it is so very important to never leave a child or a pet alone in a parked car, even if the air conditioning is running or the windows are rolled down.

Fessler told Dakota News Now, should you encounter a child inside an unattended car it's important to call 911. If it seems a parent is nowhere near the vehicle and the child appears to be unresponsive, try to rescue the child by breaking a window in the car.

Source: Dakota News Now

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