DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK, Calif. (AP) — Flash flooding at Death Valley National Park triggered by heavy rainfall on Friday buried cars, forced officials to close all roads in and out the park and stranded about 1,000 people, officials said

The park near the California-Nevada state line received at least 1.7 inches (4.3 centimeters) of rain at the Furnace Creek area, which park officials in a statement said represented "nearly an entire year's worth of rain in one morning." The park's average annual rainfall is 1.9 inches (4.8 centimeters).

About 60 vehicles were buried in debris and about 500 visitors and 500 park workers were stranded, park officials said. There were no immediate reports of injuries and the California Department of Transportation estimated it would take four to six hours to open a road that would allow park visitors to leave.

It was the second major flooding event at the park this week. Some roads were closed Monday after they were inundated with mud and debris from flash floods that also hit western Nevada and northern Arizona hard.

The rain started around 2 a.m., said John Sirlin, a photographer for an Arizona-based adventure company who witnessed the flooding as he perched on a hillside boulder where he was trying to take pictures of lightning as the storm approached.

"It was more extreme than anything I've seen there," said Sirlin, who lives in Chandler, Arizona, and has been visiting the park since 2016. He is the lead guide for Incredible Weather Adventures and said he started chasing storms in Minnesota and the high plains in the 1990s.

"I've never seen it to the point where entire trees and boulders were washing down. The noise from some of the rocks coming down the mountain was just incredible," he said in a phone interview Friday afternoon.

"A lot of washes were flowing several feet deep. There are rocks probably 3 or 4 feet covering the road," he said.

Sirlin said it took him about 6 hours to drive about 35 miles (56 kilometers) out of the park from near the Inn at Death Valley.

"There were at least two dozen cars that got smashed and stuck in there," he said, adding that he didn't see anyone injured "or any high water rescues."

During Friday's rainstorms, the "flood waters pushed dumpster containers into parked cars, which caused cars to collide into one another. Additionally, many facilities are flooded including hotel rooms and business offices," the park statement said.

A water system that provides it for park residents and offices also failed after a line broke that was being repaired, the statement said.

A flash flood warning for the park and surrounding area expired at 12:45 p.m., Friday but a flood advisory remained in effect into the evening, the National Weather Service said.

93-year-old woman and grandson complete journey to all 63 US national parks

The duo has been recognized by the National Parks Service.

Updated: 3:56 AM EDT May 22, 2023

Brad Ryan and his grandmother Joy Ryan set out on a journey to visit all 63 national parks seven and a half years ago. This week they completed their goal when they arrived at the National Park of American Samoa.Video above: See images and videos from the National Park adventures of Joy Ryan and her grandson"The National Park of American Samoa is the only U.S. national park south of the equator and our most remote park," Ryan posted on the Grandma Joy's Road Trip Instagram page created to document their travels. "It was a long road to get here, but we couldn't have chosen a more epic place to conclude this epic chapter of Grandma Joy's Road Trip!"The two received certificates and a number of other gifts from the National Park Service, commemorating their 63-national park achievement.Video below: U.S. travel destinations travelers keep coming back to include U.S. National Parks"We defied erroneous assumptions about the limitations of aging. We defied financial and logistical constraints," said Brad Ryan, who is 41, noting that his 93-year-old grandmother made history as the oldest living person to visit every U.S. National Park."Seven and a half years ago Grandma Joy and Brad Ryan set out on a journey to visit all 63 National Parks," National Park of American Samoa said in a post on Tuesday. "For them, however, this was not simply a checklist journey, but one of reconciliation and healing. Today, we were honored to host them as they arrived at their 63rd park and accomplished their goal. Their story is amazing and we are grateful to be part of it." The duo's journey began after Ryan's grandmother, a resident of Duncan Falls, Ohio, told him she regretted how few trips she had taken during her life, as CNN previously reported.First he took her to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, then he started a GoFundMe page to raise money for the other trips.

Related video above: Last year, a woman who was illegally checking out Yellowstone National Park fell into a hot spring and suffered severe burns

A Connecticut woman who walked directly on thermal features at Yellowstone National Park in July was sentenced to seven days in jail, prosecutors said.

Madeline S. Casey, 26, pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor offense, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Wyoming.

"Although a criminal prosecution and jail time may seem harsh, it's better than spending time in a hospital's burn unit," acting U.S. Attorney Bob Murray said.

In July at the park's Norris Geyser Basin, Casey and another person left a protective walkway, approached a thermal pool and walked directly on the ground. Signs nearby instruct visitors to remain on the boardwalk.

"The ground is fragile and thin and scalding water just below the surface can cause severe or fatal burns. More than 20 people have died from burns suffered after they entered or fell into Yellowstone's hot springs," park spokesperson Morgan Warthin said in the statement.

A judge ordered Casey to pay $2,040 in fines, fees and community service, according to court documents. Her jail time must be served by Jan. 31, 2022, and she is banned from the park during her two-year probation.

Casey and her attorney, Ryan Wright, did not respond to CNN's request for comment Thursday.

Officials have been stressing the importance of adhering to safety signs at the national park.

Video above: The Top 5 most visited national parks during the pandemic

In May last year, a woman was burned after falling into a thermal feature at Yellowstone when it was closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. She told park rangers she was moving back to take photos when she fell at the Old Faithful Geyser, one of the most famous geysers in the world.

Two men last year were caught trespassing on the cone of Old Faithful, which is a closed thermal area. They were sentenced to 10 days in jail and five years of probation. They were also ordered to pay $540 restitution and banned from the park for five years.

"Visitors must realize that walking on thermal features is dangerous, damages the resource, and illegal," Park Chief Ranger Sarah Davis said regarding their sentencing. "Law enforcement officers take this violation seriously."