A popular hot springs site in Sequoia National Forest in California has been closed indefinitely by the U.S. Forest Service after a second death has been reported at the location in less than two years.
According to the Forest Service news release, a body was found in Miracle Hot Springs on Saturday, February 17. Another body had been found in the same area on October 17, 2022. No information about either victim or the causes or estimated dates of death has been released. The second discovery occurred in part because the river levels have recently dropped, exposing the Miracle Hot Springs tub area; after the 2023 winter and spring flooding on the Kern River, it was under the high-water mark and inaccessible.
The springs, located near Bakersfield, California, contains at least six mineral compounds that aid in "healing our mind and bodies," according to the Miracle Hot Springs Non-Profit Conservancy. The springs traditionally have small built-up tubs in the river for people to soak in and have been used by California settlers for over a century and once even featured a hotel and a post office.
Forest Service officials dismantled the tubs after the first death in 2022, an action that enraged many locals, who questioned why the hot springs were closed when access to the Kern River is kept open despite the river itself being the site of over 300 deaths. The tubs were eventually rebuilt without official approval, only to be overtaken by the seasonal flooding. The recently found body, the second death in 16 months, has once again closed the hot springs.
"Public safety is of utmost importance to Forest Service officials. With a second death that can be attributed in part to the hot springs, the area will remain closed until a sustainable long-term solution is reached," district ranger Al Watson explained in the news release.
It's unknown if the two victims has medical conditions that caused their deaths, or if the hot springs themselves caused the deaths. An area closure order for Miracle Hot Springs will soon be in place, which will prohibit access to the hot springs, tubs, and general vicinity. It is unknown when, or if, they will reopen.
A volunteer advocacy group called the Hot Springs Angels is working with the Forest Service to try to get the hot springs reopened and made safer for the community, according to member Hal Chiprin, who spoke with the Los Angeles Times.
Apart from the deaths, concerns have been raised in recent years over the increase in trash, vandalism, parties, and drug use that has occurred at the hot springs and would also potentially curtail from regular patrolling.
