TEXAS — Just down the road from the Station 3 Fire Department in Hutto lies an old cornfield. As you walk through it, you can see dead corn on the ground and hear the sounds of dry, brittle leaves. 

Walking through the brush, the battalion chief at Hutto Fire and Rescue, Michael Wofford, said the dry junipers can easily ignite a fire from a spark or heat source. 

“It’s just quickly drying out between the heat and the wind. And now it’s all starting to become very dry and causing high fire danger,” said Wofford, as he touched the junipers. 

Wofford said massive fields of vegetation with brush at least 4 feet tall are all across Central Texas.

“Pulling off on the side of the road into the ditch can set the grass on fire. If we continue to dry up, I’ll have to put limitations on outdoor welding and stuff like that so that any outdoor activities, because a spark or a flame could end up the fire,” said Wofford. 

The battalion chief said that most of these high risk areas are privately owned. This means it’s up to the property owner to maintain the land to decrease the risk of wildfires. The area Wofford walked through was privately owned. 

“It used to be a cornfield, and now it’s not being used for that anymore. It’s probably being sold for commercial property for development soon,” said Wofford. 

Texans can expect areas of concern for wildfires to expand across the state, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service.

“Currently, Texas is experiencing a steady increase in wildfire activity, particularly across broad areas, across Austin and San Antonio, extending out toward East Texas and this is occurring as we’re experiencing unseasonably warm and dry conditions,” said Ryan Burns, fire analyst at Texas A&M Forest Service.

High fire danger is forcing Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to take action. 

On Oct. 10, Abbott​​ directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) to activate additional state emergency response resources in anticipation of a growing wildfire danger across the state. The governor amended and renewed the state’s wildfire disaster declaration, which now includes 179 counties.

“Texas will remain vigilant and continue to provide all necessary resources to protect Texans from wildfire and flood threats,” said Abbott in a press release.

Texans are urged to implement wildfire prevention and preparedness measures, including making an emergency plan, following instructions from emergency response officials and keeping emergency supplies easily available.