Canyon Ridge Springs renames park in honor of Chief Phillips
A plaque at a creekside park in the Canyon Ridge Springs community east of Marble Falls honors Michael Phillips, the former Marble Falls Area Fire Department chief who was swept away while responding to a distress signal during the Fourth of July weekend flood this past summer. Marble Falls Volunteer Fire Department photo
A community along Cow Creek recently renamed one of its parks after Michael Phillips, the former Marble Falls area volunteer fire chief who went missing along the creek while on duty during the devastating Fourth of July weekend flood this past summer.
Canyon Ridge Springs, a small community in the rugged foothills east of Marble Falls on Cow Creek Road, officially changed the name of a creek-side park to Michael Phillips Fire Chief Memorial Park. A plaque at the site also marks Phillips’ end of watch date, July, 5, 2025.
Phillips was last seen on July 5, when he responded to a call for assistance in high water near Cow Creek. As he lived nearby and had a fire department command vehicle at home, he headed straight to the scene. Unaware of how quickly the floodwaters had risen, he was swept away. His vehicle was later found downstream, destroyed by the flood. Phillips remains missing.
Current Marble Falls Area Volunteer Fire Chief Thomas Jacobs, who worked alongside Phillips for 11 years, said the tribute could not be more fitting. Jacobs noted that the park carries special meaning because of Phillips’ long connection to the creek.
“He always loved it out there,” Jacobs told DailyTrib. “Before the flood, it was beautiful. Water always flowing and all that. He always liked it.”
Beyond his love for the area, Phillips, a 30-year veteran of the Marble Falls Area Volunteer Fire Department, was deeply respected within the fire service.
“He had a big heart,” Jacobs said. “New people coming up in the fire service had to make a fire with him before they could even go out on a fire.”
Jacobs described him as a natural mentor whose enthusiasm shaped generations of firefighters.
“If he expected us to do something, he did it first,” Jacobs said.