Father investigated after 20-month-old baby dies from heatstroke in car in Fuerteventura heatwave

Incident and investigation

A 20-month-old baby died from heatstroke in Fuerteventura after being forgotten inside a vehicle by his father during the first weekend of August. The incident occurred in the locality of Tetir, while the island was under a yellow heat alert that had been active since Friday. According to local media, the father realised his mistake and ran back to the car, finding the child in a serious condition. The baby was unconscious and in critical state. A judge in Fuerteventura has opened an investigation into the father for a suspected offence of reckless homicide (homicidio imprudente grave). Authorities are now trying to determine how long the child remained inside the vehicle before the father returned. The father has not yet been brought before the court, and reports indicate he is not expected to appear in the coming days.

Heatwave conditions

The Canary Islands were in the grip of an extreme heat episode, with the State Meteorological Agency (AEMET) issuing orange alerts for Gran Canaria and La Palma, and yellow alerts for the rest of the archipelago, including Fuerteventura. Temperatures reached up to 43°C in some areas, with many locations recording 40°C. The highest alert level, orange, was in place for Gran Canaria, particularly affecting the Tejeda basin and southeastern and western midlands, where temperatures locally exceeded 40°C. The heat was accompanied by strong winds, with gusts of up to 80 km/h forecast for Gran Canaria, La Palma, and La Gomera. AEMET expected temperatures to begin falling from Wednesday, though inland areas could still see 35–38°C. The heatwave also brought a low thermal inversion, initially around 400 metres in Gran Canaria and between 500 and 700 metres in the western islands, with a tendency to descend.

Medical response and death

The baby was initially treated at the Hospital General de Fuerteventura. Due to the severity of the heatstroke, he was transferred by medical helicopter to the Hospital Universitario Materno Infantil in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Despite efforts by medical staff, the child died in the early hours of Saturday 1 August to Sunday 2 August. The death was officially registered as caused by heatstroke and reported to the Spanish Ministry of Health. The Canary Islands health department confirmed the fatality on Tuesday 4 August.

Similar cases in Europe

The tragedy follows a series of similar incidents in France and Portugal during recent heatwaves. In France, an 18-month-old baby died on 21 June after being found in hyperthermia in a car parked on a university campus in Marseille. That same week, a 3-year-old died alone in a car in Saint-Gratien, Val-d'Oise, and two children aged 2 and 4 were found dead in a family car in a residential car park in Carpentras. In Portugal, a one-year-old girl died on 23 July after being forgotten inside a daycare van in Almada; the Judicial Police are investigating the death.