Update: Body of man who died in hot spring will not be recovered

Update 6-8-2016 3:30 pm:Rangers have suspended efforts to recover the body of an Oregon man who fell into a highly acidic hot spring after wandering away from a designated boardwalk at Yellowstone National Park.

Park spokeswoman Charissa Reid said there were no remains left to recover at the site where 23-year-old Colin Nathaniel Scott slipped into the hot spring on Tuesday.

Reid says Scott’s sister was with him at the time of the accident, looking at thermal features in the Norris Geyser Basin. They were about 225 yards away from the boardwalk in violation of park rules.

Days earlier, a 13-year-old boy was burned in a different hot spring in Yellowstone.

At least 22 people are known to have died from hot-spring injuries in or near Yellowstone since 1890.

Original Story: A man in his early 20’s walked off the designated boardwalk, slipped, and fell into a hot spring at the Norris Geyser Basin Tuesday, June 7, 2016. Colin Nathaniel Scott, 23, from Portland, Oregon was with his sister, Sable Scott, when the incident occurred approximately 225 yards off the boardwalk near Pork Chop Geyser. The victim’s sister reported the incident to rangers Tuesday afternoon.

Using extreme caution given the hazards of the thermal area, rangers confirmed Scott’s death Tuesday evening. Today, rangers will focus their efforts on recovering the body.

The Norris Geyser Basin is open. However, visitors should anticipate temporary closures in the area until the investigation is complete.

“We extend our sympathy to the Scott family,” said Superintendent Dan Wenk. “This tragic event must remind all of us to follow the regulations and stay on boardwalks when visiting Yellowstone’s geyser basins.”

This fatality is the second known thermal-related incident to occur in the park during the 2016 summer season. Last Saturday, June 6, a father and son suffered burns in the Upper Geyser Basin after walking off the designated trail in the thermal area.