PORTSMOUTH — Police rushed to a report of a baby locked in a car yesterday. The blistering 90 degree temperatures could have resulted in a tragedy, and time was of the essence.

The situation was reported by a passer-by who noticed the baby in the car. Police Capt. Nancy Truax said every officer in a cruiser rushed to the location. Tragedy was averted.

The baby was in a parked car near the "Whaling Wall" at the Vaughan Mall, off Woodbury Avenue. The windows were almost completely rolled up.

Just as police arrived, the panicked mother returned and said it was a mistake. She reportedly told officers that she didn't intend to leave the child unattended. No charges were filed against the woman.

"The officers got the baby out of the car and checked its well-being," said Truax. "The child checked out fine."

Veterinarians periodically warn pet owners against leaving animals in cars.

They say that the temperature heats up extremely rapidly in a locked car parked in the sun, and pets can be killed in minutes.

"Everyone knows that is very bad to leave your pet in a car. You'd think it would be unthinkable to leave a baby or small child in a car," said Bob Gaudreau, a nurse practitioner at Portsmouth Regional Hospital. "It's just incredible."

It takes only minutes for a baby in hot car to get in trouble. Gaudreau said children don't have the fully developed temperature regulation system that an adult has.

"What that means is basically that they can't sweat enough to cool their bodies properly," Gaudreau said. "It doesn't take long for them to become grossly dehydrated. They can have swelling in their brains and even go into seizures."

Even for a healthy baby, it takes only about 15 minutes for trouble to happen, Gaudreau said. And, as the humidity rises, the safety margin decreases.

"The more humid it is, like this weather we get here, the harder it is for babies to breathe," Gaudreau said. "Adults find the humidity oppressive. Imagine how it is for (small children) because of the stage of development they are in."