A 71-year-old man died at a trailhead in Death Valley National Park Tuesday afternoon in what authorities say may have been a heat-related fatality.
The man, who has not yet been identified, collapsed outside a bathroom in Golden Canyon as temperatures spiked to around 121 degrees Fahrenheit with actual temperatures inside Golden Canyon likely much higher due to heat radiating canyon walls. del sol, the National Park Service said in a statement. Press release.
The man was wearing a sun hat and mountain gear and had likely been hiking the popular trail, authorities said.
Other park visitors noticed the man and called 911 around 3:40 p.m. local time, the National Park Service said.
Park rangers responded minutes later, while an aerial helicopter was unable to deploy due to high temperatures. Rescuers used CPR and an automated external defibrillator, but were unable to save the man.
The cause of death has not yet been determined, but rangers suspected heat was a factor, the National Park Service said.
The National Park Service said visitors were encouraged to visit Death Valley safely in the summer by traveling short distances from their air-conditioned cars or hiking the park’s cooler mountains. Walking at low elevations after 10 am is also not recommended, he said.
The agency noted that this was possibly the second heat-related death in Death Valley this summer after a 65-year-old man died on July 3.
Death Valley has experienced at least 28 days of temperatures above 110 degrees so far this year, the agency said, citing the National Weather Service.
“Heat stroke occurs when the core body temperature exceeds 104 degrees,” he said.
joseph cradduck contributed.
