Woman walking off-trail in Yellowstone suffers severe burns, park officials say

Sept. 20 (UPI) -- A 60-year-old woman suffered second- and third-degree burns to her lower leg this week while walking off-trail in Yellowstone National Park, officials said.

The unidentified woman from Windsor, N.H., was injured Monday afternoon while walking with her husband and leashed dog in a thermal area near Mallard Lake Trailhead at Old Faithful, the National Park Service said in a statement Thursday.

Officials said she was burned by scalding water when she broke through a thin crust of sediment that had formed on top. Neither her husband nor their dog was injured.

The woman was attended to by medical staff at the park's clinic before being transported via helicopter to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center for further treatment, they said.

The incident, which is under investigation, is the first known thermal injury of the year, according to officials who are reminding visitors to stay on boardwalks and trails in hydrothermal areas. Pets are also prohibited from boardwalks and hiking trails in hydrothermal and backcountry areas, they added.

The incident comes nearly two months after a hydrothermal explosion occurred on July 24 within Yellowstone National Park.

The explosion, which sent black debris and columns of smoke hundreds of feet into the air, sent visitors fleeing, though none were reported injured.