Rosario Monachino
A man accidentally fell into a hot spring in Yellowstone and sadly dissolved within a day.
Located in Wyoming, the national park was founded in 1872 and is recognised as one of the first national parks in the world, as per National Geographic.
The popular spot attracts over three million visitors each year, who take in its incredible scenery and the hot springs – with certain hot springs open for the public to swim in.
However, as Yellowstone is home to the Yellowstone Caldera – sometimes referred to as the Yellowstone Supervolcano – it’s no surprise that the surface and water can be hot and dangerous.
And, tragically, one visitor met an unfortunate fate.
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Colin Scott, a 23-year-old man from Oregon, visited the park in June with his sister where they were looking to ‘hot pot’ – a term used for taking a swim in the hot spring.
According to park officials, the siblings had visited an unauthorised area near the Norris Geyser – which is regarded as the hottest part of Yellowstone.
Deputy Chief Ranger Lorant Veress told CNN affiliate KULR: “They were specifically moving in that area for a place that they could potentially get into and soak.
“I think they call it hot potting.”
According to officials, Scott had reached down to check the temperature of a spring when he slipped and fell into it.
Yellowstone’s geothermal ponds, pools, and geysers average around 93°C (199°F) at the surface and get much hotter further down into the water.
The Deputy Chief Ranger stressed the importance for park visitors to obey all warning signs.
“Because (Yellowstone) is wild and it hasn’t been overly altered by people to make things a whole lot safer, it’s got dangers,” Veress continued.
“And a place like Yellowstone, which is set aside because of the incredible geothermal resources that are here, all the more so.”
According to the official Yellowstone website, ‘more than 20 people have been killed in the past by some of Yellowstone’s 10,000 geothermal pools, geysers, mud pots, steam vents and hot springs’.
However, officials for the park also stated that ‘you should keep in mind how many visitors the park gets’.
It has been reported that at least 22 people are known to have died from hot spring-related injuries at Yellowstone since 1890, park officials said via the Daily Mail.
While a majority of the deaths have been accidents, it has been known at least two people had been trying to swim in a hot spring, according to Lee Whittlesey, author of ‘Death in Yellowstone’.
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Rescuers later found Scott’s body inside the pool, but they couldn’t retrieve it because of a lightning storm in the area.
Sadly, when they came back the next day, no remains were found beneath the spring’s churning, acidic waters.
“In a very short order, there was a significant amount of dissolving,” Veress continued.
Scott’s sister was recording on her cell phone when he fell in, but the park service won’t release the video.
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