In April, the South Rim Fire burned about 1,300 acres in Big Bend National Park’s Chisos Basin.
The park’s deputy superintendent, David Elkowitz, told Texas Standard that the fire is contained but still burning in some areas.
The fire forced park rangers to close down several trails, a campsite and other attractions to visitors. It caused “minimal” damage to some archaeological sites, and one firefighter suffered an injured finger. In places where the fire burned longer and hotter – which Elkowitz estimates was about 20% of the land burned – the vegetation there will take longer to recover. But fire is also essential to Big Bend’s ecology.