Heat inside a parked vehicle can become hazardous much faster than many motorists assume, and California firefighters are demonstrating just how severe it can get.
Here's what to know
In a TikTok video from ABC7LA (@abc7la), the outlet warned, "It's not just the temperature outside that you need to worry about."
@abc7la It's not just the temperature outside that you need to worry about. Inside a parked car, some surfaces can reach nearly 200 degrees within minutes. During those #extremeheat waves, getting into the car can feel like opening an oven. Pasadena firefighters are warning how dangerous that could be. #severeweather #burns ♬ original sound - ABC7LA
Using a temperature gun inside a parked car on a hot day, Pasadena firefighters recorded extreme readings throughout the vehicle.
The seat climbed from 174 to 180 degrees Fahrenheit, the steering wheel in direct sunlight hit 152 degrees, and the dashboard registered about 128 degrees with the number still rising, according to firefighter and EMT Owen Wilson.
He said readings that high are enough to injure skin.
"First degree burns are probably in the range of, like, 110, 130," he explained, adding that above that point "you really want to start getting concerned."
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The danger was not limited to the surfaces people touch. Wilson measured 163 degrees near the dashboard in the sun, 122 degrees on the ceiling, and only about 130 degrees in the shaded steering wheel area.
More background
According to Wilson, some interior surfaces can reach roughly 170 to 200 degrees, and ABC7 said the vehicle's color can affect how high those temperatures go.
The warning is that outside air temperature alone does not capture the risk created when sunlight gets trapped inside a closed vehicle.
They also stressed that the heat becomes dangerous very quickly. Wilson said that "within that first 30 seconds to a minute," an adult will begin feeling heat stress, and that the danger escalates rapidly from there.
"we need to normalize putting up more covered parking structures, trees, awnings etc. more shade in urban design," one commenter wrote.
For children and pets who cannot get themselves out, Wilson said the situation can worsen from heat exhaustion to heat stroke and eventually unconsciousness without help.
Firefighters stressed that half-measures are not enough if a person or animal is left inside.
What can be done?
Even a quick errand is not a reason to leave a child or pet in a parked car.
They said opening the windows slightly does not fix the problem, and "just a few minutes" is not worth the risk when temperatures are climbing that fast.
Drivers can also protect themselves by treating any sun-exposed interior surface as potentially dangerous before touching it. Steering wheels, seats, and dashboards may all need time to cool down before anyone gets in.
If you see a child or pet in visible distress inside a vehicle, the ABC7 segment said firefighters urge you to call 911 immediately.
In Wilson's words, "Thirty seconds for an Adult is unbearable. For a child or pet who can't open the door, it's deadly."
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