A pair of visitors were cited after trespassing on the prohibited area at Old Faithful Geyser in Yellowstone National Park on Friday Dec. 27.
According to a park ranger, other visitors alerted park officials who tracked down the violators after viewing surveillance video.
According to park officials, more than 10,000 hydrothermal features are found in the park, of which more than 500 are geysers.
This incident follows another case where a visitor fell into the thermal water at Old Faithful earlier this year.
Late on Sunday, September 29, Cade Edmond Siemers, a 48-year-old U.S. citizen currently living in India, suffered severe burns to a significant portion of his body after falling into thermal water near the cone of Old Faithful Geyser.
In June 2017 , a man sustained severe burns after falling in a hot spring in the Lower Geyser Basin. In June 2016 , a man left the boardwalk and died after slipping into a hot spring in Norris Geyser Basin. In August 2000, one person died and two people received severe burns from falling into a hot spring in the Lower Geyser Basin.
At this point, park officials are not providing any additional information.
Video courtesy of Old Faithful livecam.
From Yellowstone National Park website:
Protect Your Park, Protect Yourself
- Yellowstone’s scenic wonders are sure to take your breath away: don’t let them take your life. From boiling hot springs to thousands of wild animals, some of the hazards in Yellowstone will be new to you. Protect yourself and the sights you plan to enjoy by following a few simple rules:
- Never approach animals. The animals in Yellowstone are wild and unpredictable, no matter how calm they appear to be. The safest (and often best) view of wildlife is from inside a car. Always stay at least 100 yards (91 m) away from bears and wolves, and at least 25 yards (23 m) away from all other animals, including bison and elk.
- Stay on boardwalks and trails in thermal areas. Hot springs have injured or killed more people in Yellowstone than any other natural feature. Keep your children close and don’t let them run.
- Never park in the road or block traffic. Use pullouts to watch wildlife and let other cars pass. Stay with your vehicle if you encounter a wildlife jam.
- Never park in the road or block traffic. Use pullouts to watch wildlife and let other cars pass. Stay with your vehicle if you encounter a wildlife jam.
