A man visiting Death Valley National Park in California died on Saturday after being exposed to a record heat wave.
The man was part of a group of six motorcyclists riding in the park’s Badwater Basin, national park officials said in a press release.
“If you don’t cool down properly after warming up, your body denies itself a chance to reset.”
“Yesterday it was 128 degrees Fahrenheit, a record high for a single day in Death Valley,” park ranger Nicole Andler said. “These people were on their bikes and probably didn’t have proper cooling equipment.”
Of the six motorcyclists, one was pronounced dead at the scene and four were treated for heat stroke, one of whom was later taken to hospital for treatment for “severe heat stroke,” Andler said.
The heat also prevented emergency helicopters from reaching the scene of the crash, and authorities had warned before the incident that the high heat would thin the air, making it dangerous for helicopters to maintain the lift they need to fly.
At least one person dies from heat exhaustion in Death Valley every year, according to officials. report A 65-year-old man died in July 2023 when temperatures reached 126 degrees, and a 71-year-old hiker died a few days later when temperatures topped 120 degrees.
“People get excited about experiencing the heat they’ve never experienced before, but they sometimes forget that if they started feeling hot and nauseous an hour ago, they need to stay in an air-conditioned room for the rest of the day, because that could be the earliest sign of heatstroke,” Andler said.
“If you don’t cool down properly after warming up, your body doesn’t get a chance to reset,” she adds.
Despite the warning, other tourists happily posed for photos in front of Death Valley’s famous digital thermometer.
“Death Valley in the summer was a bucket list destination for me. I’ve wanted to come here in the summer for most of my life.” Said Chris Kinsel, a visitor from Las Vegas, Nevada.
A heatwave sweeping the southwestern US has caused record high temperatures in Palmdale and Lancaster, California. Palmdale reached 114 degrees Fahrenheit after hitting 110 degrees in 1989, while Lancaster reached 115 degrees Fahrenheit after hitting 110 in 2017.
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