A man died while hiking at the Grand Canyon National Park over the weekend.
The 69-year-old man, identified as Scott Sims of Austin, Texas, became ill during a hike Saturday evening. The man was initially semi-conscious before becoming unresponsive.
"This event was rare in the sense that heat is thought to be a contributing factor to this fatality," said Joelle Baird with the park. "On average, we do see between one to two heat-related fatalities per year."
Baird said that the park has an entire team of preventive search and rescue rangers, ready to interact with visitors and making sure they have safe hiking plans. Assistance from rangers can be delayed due to simultaneous incidents requiring help.
Latest on Arizona heat
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Just shy of breaking a heat record Thursday at 117 degrees, greater Phoenix is under an extreme heat warning on Friday. Though the National Weather Service says to expect a slight cooldown in the coming days. -
There’s a remarkably simple, relatively affordable solution to keeping building temperatures down during the summer. It’s called reflective roofing, and the science is fairly basic: by coating roofs in light-colored, reflective materials, buildings absorb less heat. -
The National Weather Service has issued an extreme heat warning for eight Arizona counties, including Maricopa and Pima counties. -
Recently, the Phoenix City Council unanimously approved a plan to increase shade across the city. “Shade Phoenix” calls for 27,000 new trees and 550 new shade structures over the next five years. -
Groups representing farmworkers, airport workers, letter carriers and construction workers are among more than two dozen organizations calling for Arizona to adopt enforceable statewide heat safety rules for workplaces.
