DENVER (KDVR) — The Brighton Police Department said Tuesday that officers broke into a car to save a dog from hot temperatures.

The heat in a car can be deadly within minutes, even if the temperature is in the 80s.

BPD said it was just 84 degrees outside that day, but the internal temperature of the car read to be 113 degrees. The dog was in the car for over 20 minutes, according to police.

Officers broke through a window to get the dog out and issued a summons for animal neglect to the owner. Police said the owner was understanding and thanked officers for the teaching moment.

Now, BPD reminds others that going into a store for a few minutes can be fatal for a dog in a car.

“How long is it okay to leave your pet in the car during the summer months? The answer is zero minutes,” BPD tweeted.

If it is 90 degrees outside, how hot is my car?

The National Weather Service created a chart to show pet owners how hot it could get inside of a car even after a short period of time.

These temperatures are regardless of whether windows are rolled down.

What to do if you see a child or animal stuck in a hot car

A bill passed in Colorado in 2017 protects people who render emergency assistance to an at-risk person or animal locked in a hot car.

The bill provides immunity from civil and criminal liability, but the person must check all the following steps:

• Ensure the vehicle is not a law enforcement vehicle,
• Have a reasonable belief that the person or animal is in imminent danger of death or suffering serious bodily injury,
• Verify the vehicle is locked,
• Make a reasonable effort to locate the owner or operator of the vehicle,
• Contact a law enforcement or other first responder agency prior to forcibly entering the vehicle and not interfere with the actions of any such responding law enforcement agency,
• Use no more force than reasonably necessary to enter the locked vehicle,
• Remain with the at-risk person or animal in a safe location close to the vehicle until law enforcement or other first responder arrives at the scene; except that, if the person rendering assistance has to leave the scene before the owner or operator of the vehicle returns, prior to leaving the scene, the person rendering assistance shall leave a notice on the vehicle with his or her name and contact information and the name and location, if any, of the facility to which he or she took the at-risk person or animal. Also prior to leaving the scene, the person rendering assistance shall contact law enforcement, animal control, or other first responder to provide them with the same information.

Pets can suffer from heat-related illnesses outside of cars, too. The Humane Society said to look for signs like heavy panting, excessive drooling, glazed eyes, rapid pulse, unsteadiness, bloody nose, diarrhea, vomit, dry deep red or purple tongue and hemorrhages in gums or under the skin.

If you think a dog is overheating, you can help. Move them to a cool area and apply cool but not cold water, and direct a fan toward the dog to speed evaporative cooling.

To avoid any risk of an emergency, never leave a person or a pet alone in a hot car.