By Joseph SernaLos Angeles TimesFURNACE CREEK, Calif. — How hot was it in Death Valley over the weekend? It was so hot that a European tourist melted the skin off his feet when he lost his flip-flops in the sand dunes, park officials said. “The skin was melted off his foot,” said Death Valley National Park Service Ranger Gia Ponce. Though they wanted a helicopter to fly him out, helicopters can’t generate enough lift to fly in the heat-thinned air over the hottest parts of Death Valley, officials said. Conditions in the park can be deadly in the summer, and park officials recommend walking in the park and its soft sand dunes only in closed-toe shoes.

Source: Los Angeles Times July 25, 2024 15:18 UTC