Yellowstone employee suffers second- third-degree burns near Old Faithful geyser

A Rhode Island woman suffered significant burns near the Old Faithful geyser in Yellowstone National Park on Thursday morning, according to park officials.

According to a press release from the park, the 19-year-old woman is a concessions employee at Yellowstone. She received initial treatment from rangers for second and third-degree burns on 5% of her body.

The woman was taken by ambulance to West Yellowstone and then life-flighted to the Burn Center at East Idaho Regional Medical Center.

The incident is under investigation, and no further details were released.

Officials did not provide an update on the woman’s condition.

The release said the incident was the first significant injury in a thermal area in 2021. It marked the first injury in a thermal area since October when a 3-year-old suffered second-degree burns. The last fatal incident at a thermal area in the park occurred in 2016.

Park officials reminded visitors to always remain on boardwalks and trails and exercise extreme caution around thermal features.

“The ground in hydrothermal areas is fragile and thin, and there is scalding water just below the surface,” the release read. “Everyone must always remain on boardwalks and trails and exercise extreme caution around thermal features.”

This story was originally published by Scripps station KBZK in Billings, Montana.

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