A wildfire burned 95 percent of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s 15,200-acre Chaparral Wildlife Management Area in LaSalle and Dimmit Counties south of San Antonio. The fire started late Friday, March 14, and by Monday morning, March 17, was almost entirely burned out on the WMA, where it caused no injuries and spared most of the facilities but did destroy a research building.
When the fire started, eight parties of public hunters were on Chaparral WMA, but the two staff members on duty were able to evacuate all of them safely. “The powers that be must have been watching over us,” said David Synatzske, Chaparral WMA manager.
“The most important thing is that all hunters were safely evacuated by staff, and there was no loss of life or injury to any of the hunters, staff, or the hundreds of folks who fought this fire.”
Synatzske said two of the hunters were found Friday after dark in a pasture without a vehicle, spotted by a WMA staffer who had gone up in a military helicopter to help find them. The Texas Forest Service said by early Monday the fire was 100 percent contained, and had burned a total of 67,500 acres in South Texas. The service said they believe the fire started on a ranch in Dimmitt County, although the exact cause is still under investigation. Continue reading Wildfire Burns Chaparral WMA