A man got third-degree burns walking on blazing hot sand dunes in Death Valley, rangers say

Associated Press

PHOENIX (AP) — Rangers at California’s Death Valley National Park say a European visitor got third-degree burns on his feet while briefly walking barefoot on blazing hot sand dunes at the park. The rangers said Thursday that because of language issues they were not immediately able to determine whether the 42-year-old Belgian’s flip-flops were somehow broken or were lost at Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes during a short walk on Saturday. The ground temperature would have been much hotter than air temperature that day, which was around 123 degrees Fahrenheit. The rangers say the visitor was rushed to a hospital in nearby Nevada.