EBS STAFF
On Monday, July 28, a 17-year-old male suffered significant thermal burns to his foot and ankle area in the vicinity of Lone Star Geyser near Old Faithful.
“The juvenile was on a hike in the thermal area when his foot broke through the thin crust and he suffered burns to a lower extremity,” a July 29 press release from Yellowstone National Park explained. Emergency medical staff responded and transported the patient to a hospital for further treatment. The release noted the incident is under investigation and there is no additional information to share.
The park reminds visitors that the boardwalks and trails protect visitors and delicate thermal formations. Water in hot springs can cause severe or fatal burns, and scalding water underlies most of the thin, breakable crust around hot springs.
This is the first known thermal injury in Yellowstone in 2025. The last reported incident occurred in September 2024.
