Kern County Human Services has launched the annual Purple Ribbon campaign to remind people not to leave children in the car.The department held a demonstration at Bakersfield College on Wednesday to show how quickly a car can heat up–even in mild temperatures.

Bakersfield Fire Chief Anthony Galagaza says he’s been on three calls where children got trapped in hot cars, and one ended tragically. Galagaza says we’re more at risk for accidents because Kern County regularly reaches triple digits in the summer.

It’s illegal in California to leave a child under six-years-old in a car without someone who’s at least 12 to watch them, and parents are encouraged to keep cell phones or bags in the back as a reminder.

Kelli Pierce