Watch: Yellowstone’s Biscuit Basin explosion sends debris skyward

Biscuit Basin in Yellowstone National Park is temporarily closed after a hydrothermal explosion Tuesday morning.

Video posted by a park goer showed the moment the explosion occurred, sending debris and what appeared to be steam, skyward. 

Visitors who were at the park could be seen in the video running away from the explosion to safety. 

One person could be heard yelling, "Run!" as clouds of debris and rocks were raining down.  

Still image from video showing explosion near Sapphire Pool in Biscuit Basin on Tuesday, July 23. (Credit: Vlada March via Storyful)

What happened? 

At about 10:19 a.m. local time, a "localized hydrothermal explosion" occurred near Sapphire Pool in Biscuit Basin, which is located just north of Old Faithful in Yellowstone, according to a National Parks Facebook post. 

The last time Sapphire Pool erupted was in 1991, according to the NPS. 

Still image taken from video shows visitors running away from an explosion near Sapphire Pool in Biscuit Basin of Yellowstone National Park. (Credit: Vlada March via Storyful)

Closed temporarily 

Biscuit Basin will remain closed until the United States Geological Survey staff is able to deem it safe to reopen. 

The full extent of the damage is unknown, but no injuries have been reported at this time. 

In photos posted on the park’s Facebook account, debris can be seen scattered across the boardwalks and benches. 

Are other parts of Yellowstone safe?  

There is no data showing any changes in the Yellowstone area at the moment. Tuesday’s explosion is not indicative of volcanic activity in other parts of the park. 

The NPS said it will continue to share details as it learns more about the explosion. 

Storyful contributed to this report. This story was reported from Los Angeles.