863 Acre Fire Burns at Big Bend National Park
A fire has been slowly building at Big Bend National Park over the last week that now stands at 863 acres and growing.
The National Park Service and KSAT.com report that the fire is centered in "sky island" which is located in the Chisos Mountains. It comes at a time when the park is finally seeing an uptick in visitors after seeing far fewer people in 2020.
From the brief video clip above, you can see the smoke coming from areas of the park where the fire is burning. Big 2 News reports it's a patchy landscape of burned or scorched earth, and then some areas of the land untouched by the fire.
Areas of cliffs and rocks near the fire are helping to slow down the blaze but crews are not easing up efforts as Big Bend National Park is home to several animals and plants you won't find anyplace else in the country. Park officials said in a press release that some of the areas currently on fire have not seen fire for over 70 years.
You can keep up with the latest announcements from Big Bend on social media here.
If you have never been to Big Bend National park it is an amazing place. It can also be somewhat dangerous if you are headed for a weekend of hiking or camping for the first time. The video below offers 10 tips for a great visit to our state's National Park along with some items that should be on your radar.
Big Bend National Park is definitely one of our country's national treasures. Let's hope the crews can get this fire further under control so that the park can remain open and accessible to visitors.