GILBERT, AZ — Angela Jones of Gilbert knows the pain of losing a loved one due to Arizona's dangerous heat.
In September 2019, her 3-year-old daughter Charly was left in the back of her family's vehicle for hours.
"We had to go home and tell our two other daughters, who were nine and five, that their little sister wasn't going to be coming home," she said as she was fighting back tears. I’m doing everything in my power to spread our story, spread awareness and education so that other families can put reminders in place so that they can help prevent it from happening."
Charly is one of eight Arizona children who have lost their lives in hot vehicles since 2018, according to Kids and Car Safety.
Resources and tips about how to prevent hot car incidents can be found here.
Angela's message and that of several agencies this week is about spreading awareness of our state's dangerous heat.
"Unfortunately heat is a real public health challenge in Phoenix and many other cities," says David Hondula of the City of Phoenix's Office of Heat Response and Mitigation.
This week, messages on heat safety are passed on using the acronym HEAT:
H for hydrate
E for environment
A for awareness and
T to take action.
Hondula says there are many programs, services and resources available to help the community get through the summer, including the hundreds of Heat Relief Network cooling centers spread across the Valley.
RELATED: Heat relief stations open around the Valley for summer 2023
