Tourist's Skin Melted Off From Walking On Hot CA Sand

DEATH VALLEY, CA — A man recently suffered third-degree burns while walking in Death Valley National Park, according to authorities.

The incident occurred July 20, when a 42-year-old man from Belgium went for a walk on the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes and broke or lost his shoes, leaving his feet exposed directly to the ground, according to the National Park Service. The air temperature was 123 degrees.

“The skin was melted off his foot,” Ranger Gia Ponce told the Los Angeles Times. “The ground can be much hotter — 170, 180 [degrees]. Sometimes up into the 200 range.”

The man’s family called for help and recruited other visitors to carry him to the parking lot, authorities said. A medical helicopter could not land in the area due to the extreme temperatures, so the rangers took the man in an ambulance to a higher elevation where it was only 109 degrees and he was then flown to University Medical Center in Las Vegas, according to the park service.

Rangers recommend summer travelers to Death Valley stay within a 10-minute walk of an air-conditioned vehicle, not hike after 10 a.m., drink lots of water, eat salty snacks, and wear a hat and sunscreen.