2-year-old Arizona girl dies in hot car during triple-digit heat wave

A 2-year-old Arizona girl died after her father left her in his car for an hour in 109-degree Fahrenheit temperatures, police said.

Police found the unidentified toddler unconscious in the sweltering car on Tuesday afternoon. The child’s father claimed he had left the air conditioning on in his car’s driveway but it stopped working while he was away. ABC15 reports.

“First responders performed resuscitation on the child and immediately transported the child to the hospital. Unfortunately, the child was pronounced dead at the hospital,” said police in Marana, about 22 miles northwest of Tucson.” wrote on Facebook.

Officials told ABC15 the victim was left in the driveway in the Paseo Rancho Acero area for 30 minutes to an hour before being found unconscious.

“He left the child in the car. The car was still running and the air conditioning was on.” Captain Tim Brunenkant told FOX19. “We want to determine how long he was in the house, when the car was turned off or when the air conditioning stopped working.”

Brunekant noted that no criminal charges have been filed, but police are investigating “to determine if this was a mistake,” the report said.

“We experience this every summer across the country. When it’s over 100 degrees, maybe even 90,” Brunekant added. “It depends on the circumstances. It’s very tragic.”

It is unclear why the father went inside the car and left the girl inside.

Authorities have not yet released the girl’s identity.

Around 4 p.m. Tuesday, the temperature in Marana was 109 degrees.

ABC15 noted that temperatures in Tucson hit a record 111 degrees Fahrenheit on Tuesday, and that it only takes about 20 minutes for the temperature inside a hot car to reach 140 degrees Fahrenheit and about 40 minutes to reach 150 degrees Fahrenheit.

Parts of Arizona are currently under a heat warning, with temperatures still hovering around 110 degrees in many areas.

Police are still investigating.