Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Fire at SpaceX launch site burns 68 acres at protected refuge killing wildlife

Fire at Spacex’s Boca Chica testing facility sparks large grass fire on protected reserve

Bevan Hurley
Sunday 11 September 2022 17:37 BST
Comments
Fire at SpaceX launch site burns 68 acres at protected refuge

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A fire sparked by a SpaceX test at a launch facility in south Texas destroyed 68 acres of bush at a protected reserve on Thursday, wildlife experts say.

Crews at the Starbase in Boca Chica on the Gulf of Mexico were conducting a static test of the prototype Raptor spaceship when burning debris ignited nearby grass, KURV reported.

Fire crews rushed to the site and conducted controlled burns in an effort to stop the flames from reaching buildings on the Starbase facility, the news outlet said.

The blaze spread rapidly onto the neighbouring Las Palomas Wildlife Management Area in the Rio Grande Valley, which is home to nesting birds such as white-winged doves, egrets, and white-tailed deer and alligators.

“That’s a huge and critically endangered area,” a local resident who went to survey the damage tweeted.

Biologist Stephanie Bilodeau told KRGV she found several dead crabs and a large swathe of destroyed vegetation.

Fire crews conducted controlled burns to try to contain the fire at SpaceX’s Boca Chica base
Fire crews conducted controlled burns to try to contain the fire at SpaceX’s Boca Chica base (KRGV)

“It is a concern and I do think SpaceX has some mitigation in regard to this to make sure that this isn’t a regularly occurring thing because small fires out there can very quickly turn into large fires,” Ms Bilodeau told the news site.

The area attracts a large variety of native and migratory birds, according to Texas Parks and Wildlife

In June, the Federal Aviation Administration made an environmental assessment of the space exploration company’s bid to launch reusable rockets from the site, which sits a few kilometres from the border with Mexico.

The approval was dependent on the Elon Musk-led company taking environmental impact mitigation actions including steps to minimise noise and protect air and water quality.

On Thursday, SpaceX tweeted that its Ship24 had completed a 6-engine static fire test at the Boca Chica launch site.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in