GREAT FALLS — A woman sustained second- and third-degree burns in Yellowstone National Park on Monday, September 16, 2024.
Park officials said in a news release on Wednesday that a 60-year-old woman from New Hampshire sustained burns to her lower leg while walking in a thermal area near Mallard Lake Trailhead at Old Faithful.
According to the news release, the woman was walking off-trail with her husband and leashed dog in a thermal area when she broke through a thin crust over scalding water and sustained burns to her leg.
The woman and her husband went to a park medical clinic where they were evaluated.
She was taken via helicopter to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center for further treatment.
The woman's husband and dog were not injured.
Several people have been injured or cited in recent years after venturing too close to thermal areas in the park.
- Woman sustains 'significant' thermal burns
- Child burned after falling into thermal feature
- Woman sentenced for walking on thermal area
Visitors to the park are cautioned to stay on boardwalks and trails in hydrothermal areas and use extreme caution.
The ground in these areas is fragile and thin, and there is scalding water just below the surface.
In addition, pets are prohibited on boardwalks, hiking trails, in the backcountry and in thermal areas.
The Yellowstone National Park website provides the following information about safety around thermal features:
- Always walk on boardwalks and designated trails. Keep children close and do not let them run on boardwalks.
- Do not touch thermal features or runoff.
- Swimming or soaking in hot springs is prohibited. More than 20 people have died from burns in Yellowstone’s hot springs.
- Pets are prohibited in thermal areas.
- Do not throw objects into hot springs or other hydrothermal features.
- Toxic gases may accumulate to dangerous levels in some hydrothermal areas. If you begin to feel sick while exploring geyser basins, leave the area immediately.
