Park patrons say protecting the natural resource is important.
SAN ANTONIO — After a small fire in the backwoods of Brackenridge Park late Wednesday, park lovers are talking about the importance of protecting one of the city’s premiere natural treasures.
San Antonio firefighters said they were able to quickly extinguish a fire in an encampment hidden in the woods off Avenue B near Mulberry – that was reported just after 9 p.m.
It is an area of the park where well-worn paths have been created by the people who call the dense vegetation home.
Evidence of small fires now dot the area.
On Thursday, long-time park user Roxy said she had the day off so she brought her whole family for a picnic lunch.
“We’ve been visiting the park since I was a child so it’s a family tradition,” Roxy said, adding “My brother had a little motor boat that we used to put in the lake and we have a lot of memories in this park in general.”
Roxy said she has compassion for the unsheltered, but she also wants to pass the love of this place on to her kids.
She said she would like to see the habitat protected.
“With the fires, you’re right here with the animals and you’re going to end up hurting them as well with the smoke. It’s sad that people would do that here,” Roxy said.
While Ute Hall was walking with a friend, she echoed the sentiment.
“It’s sad! Just look around here!” Hall said. “That doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate people who don’t have homes. I feel that, but I don’t even know what to say, except that we need to do better as a city,” she added.
While looking out over the San Antonio River and waddling ducks, Francie Guerrero said “It hurts my heart because this park has been around for a long time and people get so much enjoyment out of it.”
One park user asked why the city had a big brush pile near Avenue B businesses during a time of high fire danger.
KENS 5 asked and received the following statement “It is the Department’s practice to remove brush piles from the work site once completed.”
Three hours after asking that question, workers showed up to remove the pile.
The city’s human services division manages outreach for the unsheltered population. We asked for an update on their current plan to protect the area and they provided the following written statement:
“The Department of Human Services (DHS) collaborates with the Parks and Recreation Department to assess parks with reported encampments. DHS will assess an encampment near the occurrence of the fire at Brackenridge Park on March 21 for site abatement.
DHS conducts outreach throughout all parks to connect unsheltered neighbors to resources and safe spaces. Encampment abatements coordinated with the Parks and Recreation Department at parks and along trails are typically coordinated the second and fourth Tuesday of every month.
Of the five brush fires reported this week, the Brackenridge Park fire was the only fire noted near an encampment. As a safety measure, the Homeless Outreach team regularly advise unsheltered neighbors of weather hazards presented due to living outdoors. During especially dry and windy conditions, outreach teams emphasize the danger of using fires to cook or stay warm.
Further, Bexar County is under an outdoor burning ban and fires are not allowed in City parks outside designated areas for all park visitors.
Neighbors and communities can call 311 to report encampments or call the Community Connections Hotline at 210-207-1799 for wellness check of unsheltered neighbors.”