Belgian tourist suffers 3rd-degree burns to his feet while walking in Death Valley as temperatures exceed 120 degrees

A 42-year-old Belgian tourist was hospitalized after suffering third-degree burns on his feet Saturday while walking in sand dunes in California’s portion of Death Valley National Park as temperatures soared above 120 degrees, according to the National Park Service.

A 42-year-old Belgian tourist was hospitalized after suffering third-degree burns on his feet Saturday while walking in sand dunes in California’s portion of Death Valley National Park as temperatures soared above 120 degrees, according to the National Park Service. The man, whose name has not been released, lost his shoes as he was taking a short walk in the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, where the air temperature was 123 degrees Fahrenheit and the ground temperature “would have been much hotter,” according to a park service news release. “Due to communication challenges, park rangers were not able to determine if his flip flops broke or were lost in sand,” the service said. The man’s family called for help and other park visitors carried him to a parking lot. Because of his burns and pain level, park rangers determined he had to be taken to a hospital quickly, according to the release. Rescuers attempted to take the man to a hospital via helicopter, but the heat’s impact on flying conditions prevented them from doing so, the news release said. Instead, park rangers transported the man to a higher elevation in an ambulance, and then was flown to University Medical Center in Las Vegas, officials said.