A Beaumont firefighter who had been missing since Friday has been found in a wooded area along Highway 69 between Zavalla and Huntington in nearby Angelina County.
Deputies with the Angelina County Sheriff’s Department said Travis Melancon was located shortly after 6:00 on Monday morning by a game warden not far from where his pick up truck was found on Saturday evening.
Officers say the search for Melancon, 45, of Beaumont began when family members reported that he had told them he was going to the store and never returned. However, the search centered on the area north of Zavallla on Saturday evening when a game warden spotted Melancon’s truck.
Officers from the Angelina County Sheriff’s Department, the Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife, along with other agencies and volunteers searched the area for the missing man until he was found.
A spokesman for the Angelina County Sheriff’s Department said “We found him across the road, south of where the search had been focused. Neighbors heard someone coughing. They saw someone and called us. We found Melancon standing in front of an abandoned house.”
The spokesman said Melancon, who was dehydrated but though to be ok, was taken to Woodland Heights Medical Center in Lufkin to be checked out.
“We’re pleased that he was found safe,” Beaumont Fire Chief Earl White told KFDM/Fox 4. “We’re pleased for his family. We appreciate all of the efforts from all of the agencies involved and all of the volunteers.”
