Man badly burned after slipping into Yellowstone hot spring

June 15 (UPI) -- A North Carolina man was severely burned after he slipped into a hot spring at Yellowstone National Park, officials said.

Gervais Dylan Gatete, 21, of Raleigh, N.C., was traveling with a group of eight people late Tuesday when the incident happened. A park news release reported he was walking on ground in the Lower Geyser Basin, just north of Old Faithful.

Rangers were not present when the incident happened and the investigation is ongoing into what caused Gatete to fall.

Members of his group flagged down a passing park ranger just before midnight, who helped provide first aid. Gatete was later flown to a regional hospital.

In parts of the basin, the ground is thin and brittle with scalding hot mineral springs flowing just below the surface. Parak officials warned visitors to stick to boardwalks and not venture farther.

"Yellowstone's thermal features are dangerous," Superintendent Dan Wenk said in the release. "We continually stress that people must stay on trails and boardwalks in geyser basins, not only to protect resources, but for their own safety."

Last year, a visitor was killed when he slipped into a hot spring at Yellowstone's Norris Geyser Basin.