UPDATE (Sunday, June 15): The Lost Mine Trail in Big Bend National Park re-opens on Sunday at noon. Sunday morning, park officials reported that the wildfire that began on Thursday is 75% contained. On Sunday, a small group of park rangers and full-time firefighters were working on the hot spots.
Early Sunday morning park officials told KRTS News, "it is very likely that Lost Mine Trail will open on Monday if conditions continue to improve." In fact, by noon on Sunday, officials decided to open the popular trail for visitors.
The wildland fire that began on Thursday was still smoldering through the weekend. The fire has burned about 5 acres near Lost Mine Peak.
Crews will still be on the scene, monitoring the fire Saturday and Sunday. Scattered rain on Friday night helped calm the flames. There is no serious threat of the blaze spreading.
On Friday, a crew of about five firefighters worked to fully contain the fire that was first was discovered on Thursday night, burning on the back side of Lost Mine Peak.
Earlier Friday morning, park officials told KRTS the fire was about five acres in size, and didn't appear to pose a serious threat.
As of Friday afternoon, park officials said the fire didn't appear to be growing, although it was still smoldering. KRTS was told there was not much smoke seen blowing from the area.
The fire was likely caused by a lightning strike sometime over the past couple of days. It's smoldering in a remote area on steep terrain near the peak.
We'll continue to update this post with updates as we receive them. You can also visit the park's website for up-to-date alerts.
