AUSTIN, Texas – Austin and Travis County are under disaster declarations due to the risk of wildfires.
Officials say September 2025 was the fifth-driest on record.
Travis County has been under a burn ban since September.
Wildfires in Travis County
What they’re saying:
While the whole region is dry, southeast Travis County is a hotspot for fires. Embers can travel for more than a mile.
Travis County Judge Andy Brown says there were two wildfires in the county over the weekend.
“One possible caused by construction… another caused by mowing,” he said.
The Pilot Knob Fire was at U.S. 183 and FM 812.
The disaster declarations help with getting resources faster and streamline emergency coordination.
“We can contract more quickly, we don’t have to have a normal procurement process,” Brown said.
Dig deeper:
The risk of wildfires is year-round in Central Texas.
“If you look historically, this is normal. We’ve been putting up burn bans in September and October for the last few years,” Gary Howell, Fire Marshal for Travis County, said.
“If you live here, you need to know what to do to prevent wildfires,” Austin Mayor Kirk Watson said.
Rains over the summer caused more vegetation to grow.
“The rain that we got earlier in the summer, we had explosive growth, then basically the faucet was turned off, and we started to see the drying. We’re at a critical point with the fuel moisture that’s dried out now,” Howell said.
Brown says last weekend, someone was cited for violating the burn ban. You can’t burn trash under a ban, and you have to be careful about things that could cause a spark.
“These are real consequences and the behavior of people can really affect us and really cause fires, so please take this seriously,” Brown said.
What you can do:
Watson says the city never stops preparing for fires. Public safety teams are working on evacuation plans, and the city will start having meetings with high-risk neighborhoods, so people can protect their homes and families.
You can request a meeting here.
“I’m hopeful every neighborhood in Austin, every homeowner’s association in Austin will engage with the city, so it can provide information to the people who live in those neighborhoods,” Watson said.
The city also redesigned the website ATX Wildfire Hub. You can put in your address to see your wildfire risk. You can also ask the city to evaluate your property for wildfire risks for free.
You should have emergency essentials in your house, like non-perishable food, water, and flashlights. You should have an emergency meetup plan for your family.
To receive emergency alerts, sign up here.
The Source: Information from interviews conducted by FOX 7 Austin’s Angela Shen