Austin Texas News

We may not be out of the woods yet when it comes to fire danger, as very high fire danger persists midweek. AUSTIN, Texas — While we continue to track the Crabapple fire in Gillespie County, which has burned over 8,600 acres, we’re expecting fire weather conditions to improve for Sunday. But fire risk will ramp up again as we head into next week. Here’s a day-by-day look at what we’ve got going on. Sunday,…

The Crabapple fire started at around 1 p.m. Saturday. AUSTIN, Texas — Fire crews in Gillespie County along with the Texas A&M Forest Service are battling a 9,500-acre wildfire north of Fredericksburg that sparked on Saturday afternoon. According to Gillespie County officials, the fire – named the Crabapple fire – started in the 8700 block of Lower Crabapple Road at around 1 p.m. By 4:20 p.m. Saturday, the fire had jumped across North State Highway…

The Crabapple fire started at around 1 p.m. Saturday. AUSTIN, Texas — Fire crews in Gillespie County along with the Texas A&M Forest Service are battling a massive 8,640-acre wildfire north of Fredericksburg that sparked on Saturday afternoon. According to Gillespie County officials, the fire – named the Crabapple fire – started in the 8700 block of Lower Crabapple Road at around 1 p.m. All Gillespie County fire departments are responding to the fire. Around…

A wildfire about 80 miles west of Austin led to hazy skies and the smoky smells throughout the city on Saturday. The Texas A&M Forest Service said 400-acre Crabapple Fire north of Fredericksburg started Saturday afternoon and is zero percent contained. The Austin Fire Department said it was receiving calls from people in the Austin area who are experiencing smoke that it believes is from the wildfire: 911 call takers are receiving multiple calls about…

The Crabapple fire started at around 1 p.m. Saturday. AUSTIN, Texas — Fire crews in Gillespie County along with the Texas A&M Forest Service are battling a large wildfire north of Fredericksburg that sparked on Saturday afternoon. According to Gillespie County officials, the fire – named the Crabapple fire – started in the 8700 block of Lower Crabapple Road around 1 p.m. All Gillespie County fire departments are responding to the fire. According to the…

The Austin City Council is expected to discuss the at-risk zone at its March 27 meeting. AUSTIN, Texas — Later this month, the Austin City Council will discuss the rules around the Wildland Urban Interface Code, or WUI. The WUI creates guidelines for businesses or homes that are next to wildlands are protected from the next wildfire. According to a presentation from the Austin Fire Department, the council will consider expanding the zone that would be…

Austin has an interactive map showing which parts of the city are at the highest risk of wildfire danger. AUSTIN, Texas — It’s that time of year, when high temperatures, dry soil and high winds combine to create fire weather concerns across Central Texas. Geography, structure density and other factors can contribute to just how much danger a given area is at risk of. To help Austin residents have a better idea of their neighborhood’s risk,…

Austin plans to greatly expand the amount of land, and therefore homes, considered at risk of wildfire damage. Council members are scheduled to discuss updating rules surrounding Austin’s WUI, or Wildland-Urban Interface, later this month. This is the area where wilderness and development meet, and where there is a higher risk that a fire burning in a wooded area could jump to homes and businesses. The move would put 71% of the city’s land parcels…

While appreciative of new grants, departments in Bertram and Marble Falls are still facing challenges, calling water and people their most precious resources. MARBLE FALLS, Texas — Fire departments in Bertram, Burnet and Marble Falls are getting money to buy more equipment and strengthen their responses to emergencies. This $2.1 million in funding will come from grants from Texas A&M Forest Service, which is crucial for rural towns in the Hill Country.  For a number of…

As wildfires burned near Buda and Kyle last week, some Hays County residents were confused by alerts they received from county agencies. HAYS COUNTY, Texas — Hays County Judge Ruben Becerra is addressing concerns over communication issues during wildfires last week. As wildfires broke out across the area, some residents were confused by alerts and multiple evacuation orders sent across different platforms. KUT reported that initial push alerts and posts from the Hays County Sheriff’s Office about…

Alerts and multiple evacuation orders in Hays County left people confused Tuesday as wildfires broke out across the region. Initial push alerts and posts from the Hays County Sheriff’s Office about a wildfire east of Buda didn’t explicitly mention a fire, but referred to an “ongoing incident” and instructed people within a 3-mile radius to evacuate. Screenshot from phone One of the alerts Hays County residents received Tuesday that referred to an “ongoing incident.” Toni…

There were at least eight reported fires in Williamson County on Tuesday. WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas — Crews have contained a wildfire in southeast Williamson County that began on Tuesday. As of Wednesday evening, the Tree Line fire was 4 acres and 100% contained, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service. The fire burned southeast of Taylor off CR 480, south of CR 479. The Williamson County Office of Emergency Management said as of 3:45 p.m….

Emergency officials are asking the public to avoid the area. WIMBERLEY, Texas — Emergency officials are responding to an active wildfire near Wimberley. The Hays County Office of Emergency Management reported the fire near Longhorn Trail just before 2 p.m. Wednesday. Details are limited at this time, but officials are asking the public to avoid the area. If evacuation notices are necessary, they’ll be sent out through Warn Central Texas. This is a developing story,…

Officials said visibility was less than a mile when they first arrived at the fire, with dust and winds making firefighting difficult. BLANCO COUNTY, Texas — Crews continue working to contain a wildfire west of Johnson City that started on Tuesday afternoon. The Blanco County Sheriff’s Office reported the large fire near Klett Ranch Road around 4 p.m. before crews were able to stop the fire’s progress. As of Wednesday at 1 p.m., the Texas…

Officials in Blanco County said more than 80 acres are burning as they work to contain the fire. BLANCO COUNTY, Texas — Crews continue working to contain a wildfire west of Johnson City that started Tuesday afternoon. The Blanco County Sheriff’s Office reported the large fire near Klett Ranch Road around 4 p.m. before crews were able to stop the fire’s progress. Authorities said the fire is 82 acres and that they managed to stop…