A Belgian tourist suffered third-degree burns on the bottoms of his feet after losing his footwear while walking on the sand dunes in Death Valley National Park.
The park service says it happened on Saturday in at the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes.
Rangers believe the 42-year-old man was taking a short walk on the sand dunes when he lost his flip-flops.
Due to communication challenges, park rangers were not able to determine if his flip flops broke or were lost in sand.
The ground temperature would have been much hotter that air temperature, which was around 123°F.
Other park visitors carried the man to the parking lot.
Park rangers determined the man needed to be transported to a hospital quickly due to his burns and pain level.
They transported the man to an area where a Mercy Air helicopter was able to safely land. He was flown to University Medical Center in Las Vegas. His condition was unknown.
Park rangers recommend that summer travelers to Death Valley National Park stay within a 10 minute walk of an air conditioned vehicle, not hike after 10 am, drink plenty of water, eat salty snacks and wear a hat and sunscreen.
