INDEPENDENT PANEL TO EXAMINE ROLLING PINES WILDFIRE
An independent panel selected by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) will review the circumstances and cause of the escape of a prescribed fire at Bastrop State Park.
The Rolling Pines Fire began on January 18th after a prescribed burn at the park lost control. The fire was not 100 percent contained until January 24th, after burning approximately 812 acres.
According to the TPWD, the panel was ordered through the Texas A&M Forest Service and includes experts from across the southern United States who are knowledgeable about prescribed burns on both public and private land. The agency said the specialists have expertise in how fire reacts in environments similar to Bastrop State Park.
The review team will include five wildland fire experts from the state forestry agencies in Florida, Georgia, Oklahoma and South Carolina.
Some of the objectives of the review will include reviewing the preparation, planning and execution of the prescribed fire; evaluating staff, equipment and safety resources; determining whether the burn plan conformed to best practices related to prescribed fire; and developing and issuing recommendations to the TPWD.
Prescribed burns at Bastrop and Buescher State Parks have been temporarily suspended until the independent review is complete and the results and recommendations have been fully evaluated.