A man has reportedly in Yellowstone National Park after falling into a boiling pool of acidic water he thought was a hot spring, say park officials.
The report, which followed a Freedom of Information Act request from KULR, found that in June Oregon man Colin Scott, 23, was with his sister in the park looking for a place to soak, or “hot pot,” and while reaching down to check the temperature of a hot spring when he slipped and fell into the pool,” the report said, quoting his sister, Sable Scott.
“Geothermal attractions are one of the most dangerous natural features in Yellowstone,” says Hank Heasler, the park’s principle geologist. PHOTO: Getty.
Park rangers were alerted by Ms Scott but the search was interrupted by a lightning storm. When the rescue mission resumed the next day they could not find the body because of the acidic water quality, says the report.
“In a very short order, there was a significant amount of dissolving,” Deputy Chief Ranger Lorant Veress told KULR.
Yellowstone is known throughout the world for its geysers and other geothermal features but despite the Park’s warnings people try to swim in areas that might be as hot as 120 degrees.
“Geothermal attractions are one of the most dangerous natural features in Yellowstone, but I don’t sense that awareness in either visitors or employees,” says Hank Heasler, the park’s principle geologist on the Yellowstone website.
According to the website, The National Park Service publishes warnings, posts signs, and maintains boardwalks where people can walk to get close to popular geyser fields. Yet every year, rangers rescue one or two visitors, frequently small children, who fall from boardwalks or wander off designated paths and punch their feet through thin earthen crust into boiling water.
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