GREAT FALLS — Five people were treated at a hospital on Thursday, July 11, 2024, after the vehicle they were in went off the road and into a thermal feature at Yellowstone National Park.
It happened at about 10:40 a.m. at the Semi-Centennial Geyser thermal feature near Roaring Mountain between Mammoth Hot Springs and Norris Junction.
On July 12, law enforcement rangers closed both lanes of the road near the incident for about two hours in order to remove the car from the thermal feature.
According to a news release from the park, the incident was "inadvertent."
All five people were able to get out of the vehicle on their own, and they were all taken via ambulance to a nearby hospital for treatment; their injuries were not life-threatening.
The vehicle was fully submerged in about nine feet of water.
The Semi-Centennial Geyser thermal feature has acidic and hot surface water temperatures, ranging around 105 degrees Fahrenheit.
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Yellowstone National Park thanked Hanser’s Automotive; US Water Rescue Dive Team; HK, Contractors; Resource Technologies Incorporated and Yellowstone Park Service Stations for their "collective expertise and professionalism in removing the car from the thermal feature in such an expeditious manner."
No other details have been released at this point. We will update you if we get more information.