Teen seriously burned at a geyser near Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park
A teenage boy visiting Yellowstone National Park was seriously burned when his foot broke through the ground near a geyser by the infamous Old Faithful, officials said.
The 17-year-old was hiking in a thermal area near the Lone Star Geyser on July 28 when he suffered the burns to his foot and ankle, according to the National Park Service. The geyser, about a 5-mile trek from the Old Faithful geyser, features a walking and biking trail, but park officials warn that straying from marked paths and boardwalks can be dangerous throughout the park.
The injury is the first reported thermal injury in Yellowstone this year, the park service said. People who have strayed from designated paths around Yellowstone's thermal features have suffered second- and third-degree burns, or even died in the past. Most recently, a woman suffered third-degree burns while walking off-trail in a thermal area near Old Faithful last September.
The boy who suffered burns earlier this week was treated by emergency medical staff on site and then transported to a hospital, the park service said.
Yellowstone's thermal features are extremely dangerous
Yellowstone park officials warned visitors to stick to designated walking paths and boardwalks to avoid serious injury or death. At least 20 people have died from burns after they entered or fell into Yellowstone's hot springs.
In 2016, an Oregon man died in a Yellowstone hot spring when authorities said he fell in while reaching down to check the temperature – about 212 degrees Fahrenheit – after venturing off a boardwalk.
"Water in hot springs can cause severe or fatal burns, and scalding water underlies most of the thin, breakable crust around hot springs," the park service said.
Leaving paths can also cause damage to the thermal formations of the park, the park service said.
Earlier this year, a large bison fell victim to the scalding springs when it fell into the colorful waters of the Grand Prismatic Spring as onlookers watched it thrash around and then die in temperatures likely close to 200 degrees. Its body was a reminder of what can happen when straying from the paths, Mike Poland, the scientist-in-charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory with the U.S. Geological Survey, told Paste BN at the time. Even walking on ground that looks solid can quickly turn dangerous, because the delicate crust can easily give way and send you into scalding waters just below the surface, Poland said.
How to stay safe while enjoying Yellowstone's beauty
Here's what park officials say will keep you safe while visiting:
- Always walk on boardwalks and marked trails. Do not allow children to run on boardwalks, and keep them close to you.
- Do not touch thermal features or runoff.
- Do not swim or soak in hot springs, which is prohibited and potentially fatal.
- Do not bring pets in thermal areas, where they are prohibited.
- Do not throw objects into hot springs.
- If you begin to feel sick while visiting a geyser basin, leave the area immediately, as toxic gases may accumulate to sometimes dangerous levels.