Belgian tourist suffers 3rd-degree burns to his feet while walking in Death Valley as temperatures exceed 120 degrees

(CNN) — A 42-year-old Belgian tourist was hospitalized after suffering third-degree burns on his feet Saturday while walking in sand dunes in California’s portion of Death Valley National Park as temperatures soared above 120 degrees, according to the National Park Service.

The man, whose name has not been released, lost his shoes as he was taking a short walk in the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, where the air temperature was 123 degrees Fahrenheit and the ground temperature “would have been much hotter,” according to a park service news release.

“Due to communication challenges, park rangers were not able to determine if his flip flops broke or were lost in sand,” the service said.

The man’s family called for help and other park visitors carried him to a parking lot.

Because of his burns and pain level, park rangers determined he had to be taken to a hospital quickly, according to the release.

Rescuers attempted to take the man to a hospital via helicopter, but the heat’s impact on flying conditions prevented them from doing so, the news release said. Instead, park rangers transported the man to a higher elevation in an ambulance, and then was flown to University Medical Center in Las Vegas, officials said.

Third-degree burns destroys two layers of skin and may damage bones, muscles and tendons, according to Stanford Medicine. The burned area appears white or charred, and it has no sensation because nerve endings are destroyed.

The incident came just two weeks after a motorcyclist died in Death Valley from heat exposure, the Death Valley National Park said in a news release. The high temperature that day was 128 degrees, according to preliminary data. Death Valley hit 129 degrees the next day, which hadn’t happened in July since 2021.

Last July, a 71-year-old man collapsed and died outside a restroom in Death Valley National Park after park rangers believe he hiked a nearby trail. Another man was found dead in his disabled vehicle on the side of the road in the park, with park rangers suspecting he succumbed to heat illness while driving and then baked in temperatures as high as 126 degrees.

So far this month, Death Valley has seen 20 days with temperatures over 120 degrees, including every day from July 15 through at least Tuesday. The average temperature for Death Valley in July is 117 degrees.

The park also had nine consecutive days above 125 degrees this month, which is its second-longest streak above 125 on record.

Despite extreme summer heat – or even because of it – Death Valley National Park is a popular tourist attraction. The park, regarded as one of the hottest places on Earth, drew about 1.1 million visitors in 2023, according to the National Park Service.

“Many visitors come here in the summer specifically to experience the extreme heat,” the service said.

The park responded to 88 emergency medical calls and 23 search-and-rescue requests last year. An alert from the National Park Service tells visitors to expect high temperatures of 100 to 130 degrees.

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