SpaceX fire burns 68 acres of protected refuge

SpaceX fire burns 68 acres of protected refuge

The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department is reporting that Thursday’s grass fire at the SpaceX Boca Chica launch site burned 68 acres of brush at a protected refuge.

The grass fire lasted about five hours as part of a static fire test of Starship 24.

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A wildlife biologist with the Coastal Best Bays and Estuaries Program was at the refuge and said she found several dead crabs and destroyed vegetation as a result of the fire.

“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," wildlife biologist Stephanie Bilodeau said.

Channel 5 News learned that six of starship’s 24 engines were lit up for the test.