Five people were hurt Friday when their car plunged into an acidic and inactive Semi-Centennial Geyser in Yellowstone National Park on Thursday.
All five got out of the car on their own, but were transported to a nearby hospital with nonlife-threatening injuries, the YNP reported Friday afternoon.
But the car sunk to the bottom of the geyser, prompting the closure of a stretch of road between Roaring Mountain on Friday to recover the vehicle.
Around 11:40 a.m. Thursday, the car drove off the road and into the deep pool of water down an embankment next to the geyser. The occupants escaped the vehicle before it was completely submerged under 9 feet of water, the NPS reports.
The road alongside Semi-Centennial Geyser was closed for about two hours as heavy equipment was brought in to fish the car out of the pool. The U.S. Water Rescue Dive Team assisted in the recovery of the vehicle.
The NPS is investigating the incident, which has been categorized as "inadvertent."
No additional information was provided, including whether any tickets or charges could be filed in connection with the mishap.
Haley Sampson Hill, a member of the Yellowstone Insiders Hub Facebook group, shared this photo Friday in the aftermath of a car plunging into an inactive Yellowstone geyeser Thursday. (Haley Sampson Hill via Yellowstone Insiders Hub) 
Efforts to recover submerged vehicle in inactive Semi-Centennial Geyser on Friday, July 12, 2024 (Courtesy: Tourons of Yellowstone instagram)
Dormant But Dangerous
Semi-Centennial Geyser has been inactive since 1922. It got its name from its last period of activity, which coincided with the 50th anniversary of Yellowstone National Park.
Its last observed eruptions were more than 300 feet tall Aug. 14, 1922. Since then, the geyser has been a large, deep pool of acidic water alongside the Grand Loop Road in Mammoth Hot Springs and the Norris Geyser Basin.
Despite its inactivity, Semi-Centennial Geyser's surface water temperature is around 105 degrees, and the water is slightly acidic. It's unknown if the injuries sustained by the people in the vehicles were burns from the water temperature or its acidity.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information is available.
Andrew Rossi can be reached at arossi@cowboystatedaily.com.
