A Kansas couple is facing multiple felony charges after authorities said they left six children, including two 7-month-old infants, inside a hot vehicle while they ate at a Wingstop restaurant during extreme summer heat.
According to the New York Post, Michael Krueger, 53, and Tiffany Krueger, 40, were each charged with six counts of aggravated child endangerment following the incident Wednesday afternoon in Salina, according to local authorities.
Police were called to the restaurant after receiving reports of children left unattended in a parked vehicle.
Investigators allege the couple remained inside the restaurant for approximately 20 to 30 minutes while the children stayed in the car with only one window partially open and no air conditioning.
According to KSAL, the children ranged in age from 7 months to 13 years old.
The group included two 7-month-old infants, a 2-year-old, a 4-year-old, a 5-year-old and a 13-year-old.
The incident occurred as temperatures in Salina approached 100 degrees, with the heat index climbing above 100.
Emergency responders evaluated all six children at the scene. Authorities have not said whether any of them suffered heat-related injuries.
The children were later taken into protective custody, according to local reports.
Fire officials used the incident to remind parents how quickly vehicles can become life-threatening in hot weather.
"A child's body temperature rises three to five times faster than adults'," Chad Scoville of the Salina Fire Department told KWCH. "They just do not have the same regulating capabilities that an adult does."
Scoville warned that temperatures inside a parked vehicle can become deadly within minutes, even when someone believes they will only be away briefly.
"Temperatures can reach deadly levels inside cars within minutes," he said. "Anything can happen at any time, even if you think you're going to be minutes — that could turn into an hour. We simply do not want to leave unattended children or pets in unattended vehicles. Period."
Health officials have long cautioned that cracking a window provides little protection against rising temperatures inside a vehicle.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the temperature inside a parked car can increase by nearly 20 degrees within the first 10 minutes, even if a window is left partially open.
The agency also warns that children left alone in parked vehicles face the greatest risk of heat stroke, which can quickly become fatal if they are not removed and treated.