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Downed Electrical Line Sparks Wildfire At Big Bend National Park

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By Kurt Repanshek - February 2nd, 2016

This aerial shot shows the proximity of a wildfire to Panther Junction in Big Bend National Park/NPS

Some 1,000 acres of Big Bend National Park in Texas were burned by a wildfire possibly sparked by a downed power line, and crews were working to see that the blaze didn't spread into the housing and administrative area at Panther Junction.

The fire was spotted Monday night near Panther Junction and was moving east. Park officials said it "likely caused by sparks from a downed power pole during extremely gusty winds over 30 mph. Due to continued high winds and hot/dry conditions, the fire spread very quickly east and north of Panther Junction, beyond the KBar backcountry campsites."

By Tuesday evening the fire was estimated at 1,000 acres and additional crews were being called in to assist the park's firefighters. At one point power went out to Rio Grande Village, and linemen from Rio Grande Electric Cooperative were called in to try to restore power.

While some questioned why the fire was being battled, since it was away from developed areas of the park, park staff said "(T)he fire remains within a short distance of facilities/structures and high fire danger conditions continue to prevail with hot and dry winds."

Firefighters worked throughout the day Tuesday to keep a wildfire from burning into Panther Junction/NPS

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