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Vestavia Hills police and firefighters responded to an office building on Columbiana Road Friday, April 7, 2017, on a report of a child left in a vehicle. The boy was unresponsive and rushed to Children's of Alabama, where he was pronounced dead.(Carol Robinson)

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A child was rushed to the hospital late Friday afternoon after being left in a car outside of a Vestavia Hills office building.

The child - a 1-year-old boy - was pronounced dead a short time later.

Vestavia Hills police and firefighters were dispatched to an office building in the 2000 block of Columbiana Road at 4:38 p.m., confirmed VHFD Lt. Ryan Farrell. The call was on a child left in a vehicle, he said. The red Ford F-150 was parked in the rear parking lot of the NaphCare Building.

The child was unresponsive and in cardiac arrest, according to Farrell. First responders rushed the child to Children's Hospital via a police escort, with area municipalities helping to clear the roadways for faster transport. The father of the child was on the scene and accompanied the child to the hospital.

The caravan arrived at Children's at 4:53 p.m. The baby was pronounced dead at 5:06 p.m. Children's of Alabama, said Vestavia Hills Capt. Brian Gilham.

Gilham said the investigation is in its early stages and very few details are available. He said they don't yet know how long the boy had been in the vehicle.

As of 6 p.m., officers remained on the scene, though the vehicle has already been removed and towed for evidence. Police officials met with the general counsel for the company inside the building.

Gilham said the boy's father had already taken the boy out of the car by the time police and fire arrived on the scene. It wasn't immediately clear whether he or someone else initially dialed 911.

He said investigators will work throughout the weekend to try to determine what happened. As of now, he said, they are classifying the case as a death investigation only but will coordinate with the Jefferson County Coroner's Office to determine whether any criminal charges are warranted. He emphasized, however, that is standard procedure and it's too soon to know whether that is a possibility.

He said he couldn't say it was a "hot car death" but said they will have to see what the autopsy and investigation shows. The initial call, however, was a child left in a vehicle.

Gilham said it will likely be Monday or beyond before authorities release the name of the child, or any other information. He said it was a tough scene for first responders.

"When you're dealing with a child, it makes it very difficult,'' Gilham said. "I'm a father, many of our officers are parents, and our hearts go out to the family."

Brad McClane, chief of administration at NaphCare, confirmed the boy's father works at the company. "We're deeply saddened by this tragedy and our hearts are with our employee and his family," he said.