Disaster evaded: proof from the Pudding Fire

A prescribed fire on the Park Unit, where the Pudding Fire occurred, was conducted with Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) funding in April, 2023, reducing fuels along the wildland urban interface. The area shares a boundary with 23 private homes and Magnolia Elementary School in Ocean Spring, MS.

NPS/J MANIS

In 2024, firefighters discovered evidence of a lightning-caused fire at Gulf Islands National Seashore. Two slash pines near the park boundary displayed textbook lightning strike characteristics. The remains of a small brush fire surrounded the trunks. Dubbed the Pudding Fire, it started only 60 feet from the neighbor’s fence. The area also shared a boundary with 23 private homes and an elementary school. The fire was naturally suppressed, which means no actions were needed from firefighters.

In 2023, $45,000 of fuels reduction projects were funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). These projects targeted the wildland urban interface (WUI), where the park meets urban development. The previous prescribed fire as well as mechanical fuels reduction work aided the suppression of this fire.

Lightning strike on two slash pine trees along the wildland urban interface of Gulf Islands National Seashore.

NPS/J MANIS

The Mississippi River Zone fire management crew created fuel breaks along the park boundary. They attempt to conduct prescribed burns in this area every two years to maintain the fuel breaks and help protect the surrounding community for years to come.

Looking for proof that these fuels reduction projects work? Well, that's in the Pudding Fire!