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.
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