St. George • A 56-year-old woman died Sunday while hiking near a southern Utah reservoir, the apparent victim of the unrelenting heat that has gripped much of the desert southwest over the past few weeks.
After receiving a report of a woman in distress due to heat and a lack of water about 3:30 p.m., police dispatched emergency crews to the area, where they located the woman on the South Quail Creek Overlook Trail near Quail Creek State Park, according to Officer Doug Thornton of the Hurricane Police Department.
The temperature was 106 degrees when police arrived and found the victim, who was unresponsive. After unsuccessful attempts to save her, the hiker was pronounced dead.
“We know the temperatures were part of [the problem],” Thornton said. “It sounds like that is where things went wrong.”
Police are not releasing the name of the hiker or any more details about the incident pending the notification of next of kin and the conclusion of an investigation.
Other heat deaths
The fatality at Quail Creek is the fourth heat-related death in Southern Utah in the past two weeks. On July 13, 30-year-old Orem resident Belyruth Ordóñez died while hiking in 106-degree heat with her parents, Dario and Humbelina Ordóñez, in Snow Canyon State Park.
Her parents remain hospitalized in St. George but are now out of the intensive care unit, according to Yeraldine Calderone, a friend of the family who has set up a GoFundMe page to raise money to pay for the family’s funeral and medical expenses.
On July 12, 52-year-old Albino Herrera Espinoza and his 23-year-old daughter, Beatriz Herrera, both from Green Bay, Wisconsin, were found dead in Canyonlands National Park after they became lost while hiking Syncline Trail and ran out of water in triple-digit temperatures.
Extreme heat has been an issue in southern Utah for the past several weeks. On July 7, the National Weather Service issued an excessive heat warning for lower Washington County, Zion National Park, Lake Powell and the Glen Canyon Recreation Area that remained in effect for nearly a week.
Temperatures during that period topped 110 degrees, between 10 and 12 degrees higher than normal for July, according to Jon Wilson, a meteorologist with the weather service’s Salt Lake City office. On July 8, the mercury in the afternoon was 114 degrees, tying the record for that day but shy of St. George’s record of 117, which was tallied July 5, 1985, and tied July 10, 2021.
While the heat has moderated since then, public safety and health officials are still warning visitors and residents to stay indoors and to avoid hiking and other strenuous activities on hot days, especially during the heat of the day.
“We are advising people [working outdoors] to get done earlier in the morning,” said David Heaton, public information officer for the Southwest Utah Public Health Department. “And if they are outdoors during the heat of the day, they need to seek shade and drink lots of water.
“Staying hydrated is key,” he added. “So is taking frequent breaks, seeking shade, and wearing protective clothes such as loose, long-sleeved shirts, hats and sunglasses.”
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