Man dies inside Death Valley National Park amid scorching temperatures above 120 degrees

Name: How to tell the difference between heatstroke and heat exhaustion
Uploaded: 2021-09-09T16:09:07-04:00
Duration: 1 min 10 s
Description: The two heat-related illnesses can appear very similar, but have dangerously different outcomes.

How to tell the difference between heatstroke and heat exhaustion

The two heat-related illnesses can appear very similar, but have dangerously different outcomes.

DEATH VALLEY, Calif. - A 71-year-old man died inside Death Valley National Park on Tuesday as temperatures soared above 120 degrees, according to information released by the National Park Service.

In a news release, the NPS said the Los Angeles man collapsed outside a restroom at Golden Canyon and believed he had likely just been hiking the popular trail when the incident occurred.

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TOPSHOT - A heat advisory sign is shown along US highway 190 during a heat wave in Death Valley National Park in Death Valley, California, on July 16, 2023. Tens of millions of Americans braced for more sweltering temperatures Sunday as brutal conditions threatened to break records due to a relentless heat dome that has baked parts of the country all week. By the afternoon of July 15, 2023, California's famous Death Valley, one of the hottest places on Earth, had reached a sizzling 124F (51C), with Sunday's peak predicted to soar as high as 129F (54C). Even overnight lows there could exceed 100F (38C). (Ronda Churchill / AFP)

Tourists walk back to their vehicle at Zabriskie Point during a heat wave in Death Valley National Park in Death Valley, California, on July 16, 2023. Tens of millions of Americans braced for more sweltering temperatures Sunday as brutal conditions threatened to break records due to a relentless heat dome that has baked parts of the country all week. By the afternoon of July 15, 2023, California's famous Death Valley, one of the hottest places on Earth, had reached a sizzling 124F (51C), with Sunday's peak predicted to soar as high as 129F (54C). Even overnight lows there could exceed 100F (38C). (Ronda Churchill / AFP)

FURNACE CREEK, CALIFORNIA - JULY 16: A Jeep is distorted in the heat haze as the temperature rises past about 127 degrees Fahrenheit on a day that could set a new world heat record in Death Valley National Park on July 16, 2023 near Furnace Creek, California. (David McNew)

An RV shimmers in the heat haze as the temperature rises past about 127 degrees Fahrenheit on a day that could set a new world heat record in Death Valley National Park on July 16, 2023 near Furnace Creek, California. (David McNew)

National park officials said visitors inside the park noticed the man on the ground around 3:40 p.m. and called 911 for help.

Emergency crews rushed to the scene, but a medical helicopter was not able to reach the scene to fly the man to a hospital because of the high temperatures.

Live-saving measures, including an automated external defibrillator, were used to try and save the man, but the man died at the scene.

The man’s cause of death has not yet been determined, but park rangers said they believe heat was a factor.

The temperature at nearby Furnace Creek reached 121 degrees, and actual temperatures inside Golden Canyon were likely higher due to the canyon’s walls radiating the sun’s heat.

Park officials say they encourage those who visit Death Valley National Park in the summer to keep sightseeing to short distances from their air-conditioned vehicles or hike in the park’s cooler mountains. They do not recommend hiking in lower elevations after 10 a.m.

This is now the second heat-related death inside Death Valley National Park this summer. In July, a 65-year-old man was found dead inside his car amid temperatures that reached 126 degrees.

HELLISH HEAT WAVE SEARING U.S. LIKELY TO DRAG ON FOR WEEKS

When will the heat break?

The expansive area of Excessive Heat Warnings and Heat Advisories will remain across the Southwest, southern Plains, the Gulf Coast, and parts of South Florida, the FOX Forecast Center said.

The long-term outlook for the region shows the heat wave persisting into next week.