Man disintegrates after falling into Yellowstone geyser

An Oregon man, whose body disintegrated in a scalding Yellowstone National Park geyser this spring, was trying to find a place to "hot pot" when he slipped into a thermal pool, officials have revealed.

The prohibited practice, in which people soak in the park's hot springs, was not named in the official report released by the National Park Service written regarding the June 7 incident in which Colin Scott slipped to his death after reportedly walking off a boardwalk with his sister.  However, Deputy Chief Ranger Lorant Veress told a Billings, Montana station, that it was the dangerous practice that led to Scott's demise.

"They were specifically moving in that area for a place that they could potentially get into and soak. I think they call it Hot Potting," Veress told KULR.  "There’s a closure in place to keep people from doing that for their own safety and also to protect the resources because they are very fragile.  But, most importantly for the safety of people because it’s a very unforgiving environment."

Unforgiving, according to the official report, in part because of the extreme heat and intense acidity of the water.

The report said Scott slipped and fell into a thermal feature in the Porkchop Geyser area of the park after reaching in to check the temperature.

In vain, his sister Sable Scott ran to get help. "In a very short order, there was a significant amount of dissolving," Veress said.

Scott died in the superheated, acidic mud pot. Remains were not able to be recovered.

 

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