A woman suffered serious burns when she fell into a hot spring at Yellowstone National Park yesterday after illegally entering the closed park.
It’s believed the unidentified woman was taking photos when she backed up and fell into a hot spring, or fumarole, at Old Faithful.
“We do not know which thermal feature she fell in. We do know that she suffered burns.”
– Linda Veress, park public information specialist
Following her accident, the woman drove through the park before park rangers stopped her about a mile south of Mammoth Hot Springs. Due to her injuries, the woman was flown to the burn center at Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls, Idaho.
“Due to her injuries, she was life-flighted to the Burn Center at Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center. This incident is under investigation.”
– Linda Veress
Yellowstone has been closed to the public since March 24 to prevent the spread of coronavirus at the request of county health officials and the governors of Montana and Wyoming. An announcement is expected today outlining the phased reopening of the park.
Yellowstone National Park is an American national park located in the western United States, with parts in Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. It was established by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872. Yellowstone was the first national park in the U.S. and is also widely held to be the first national park in the world. The park is known for its wildlife and its many geothermal features, especially Old Faithful geyser, one of its most popular. While it represents many types of biomes, the subalpine forest is the most abundant. It is part of the South Central Rockies forests ecoregion.
Old Faithful is a cone geyser located in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, United States. It was named in 1870 during the Washburn-Langford-Doane Expedition and was the first geyser in the park to receive a name. It is a highly predictable geothermal feature, and has erupted every 44 minutes to two hours since 2000. The geyser and the nearby Old Faithful Inn are part of the Old Faithful Historic District. According to the NPS website, hot springs have injured or killed more people in Yellowstone than any other natural feature.
