A man suffered severe burns to his feet on sand dunes in Death Valley National Park where the temperature was 123°F, with a “much hotter” ground temperature, according to National Park Service officials.
The 42-year-old man from Belgium is believed to have been taking a short walk at Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes on Saturday, July 20, when his flip flops either broke or were lost in the sand. Park rangers are not certain exactly what happened because of the language barrier. The man’s family called for help, and other park visitors helped carry him to the parking lot.
The man needed to be taken to a hospital quickly due the extreme burns and excruciating pain. But the medical helicopter could not fly in those high temperatures because it reduces rotor lift. So, park rangers transported him via ambulance to a landing zone at a higher elevation where the temperature was 109°F, allowing the chopper to fly him to a hospital in Las Vegas.
The California park reminds visitors to “stay within a 10 minute walk of an air conditioned vehicle, not hike after 10 a.m., drink plenty of water, eat salty snacks, and wear a hat and sunscreen.”
