<\/p>\n
Temple firefighter Dillon Ischy mops up hot spots left by the Rolling Pines Fire on Jan. 20. The wildfire is believed to have been ignited by embers from a prescribed burn at Bastrop State Park on Jan. 18.<\/p>\n
Jay Janner \/ American-Statesman, Jay Janner\/American-Statesman<\/p>\n
Travis County and the City of Austin have been placed under preemptive disaster declarations due to high wildfire risks, local officials announced on Monday morning.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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During a joint press conference, Travis County Judge Andy Brown and Austin Mayor Kirk Watson announced the declarations aimed at speeding up wildfire response. The orders allow officials to activate local emergency operations centers, request state assistance and reassign staff or equipment for fire protection without waiting for city council or commissioners court approval, along with speeding up reimbursement from state and federal agencies if a disaster occur.<\/p>\n
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Watson noted that Austin now ranks fifth in the nation for the number of homes at risk of wildfire.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Fire threat across Texas for Tuesday Oct, 21.<\/p>\n
Courtesy of the Texas A&M Forest Service<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re in particularly perilous conditions,\u201d he said. \u201cWhether you live downtown or in the county, wildfire could affect you and your family.\u201d<\/p>\n
The declarations were made as burn bans remain in effect across Central Texas, including in Travis County.<\/p>\n
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The fire risk was made worse by the deadly central Texas flash floods that washed through northwestern Travis County in July, according to Travis County Fire Marshal Gary Howell. The rain brought increased vegetation which has since dried out due to what National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration calls “a flash drought.”<\/p>\n
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Large cracks have formed in the ground at the MetCenter Disc Golf Course in Southeast Austin during a drought on Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025.<\/p>\n
Jay Janner\/Austin American-Statesman<\/p>\n
A flash drought happens when dry conditions set in unusually fast, over weeks instead of months. After a wet July, Central Texas has gone dry through August, September and October. Monday marked 43 straight days without measurable rain in Austin.<\/p>\n
Any extension of the declarations beyond seven days would require approval from the city council or county commissioners court.\u00a0 The city council will vote on Thursday to extend the disaster declaration through Dec. 11. The Court of Commissioners will determine how long it plans to extend the declaration during its voting session on Tuesday.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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The local orders come 10 days after Gov. Greg Abbott renewed a statewide disaster declaration due to increased fire danger.<\/p>\n
Preparedness and prevention<\/p>\n
Officials reminded residents to avoid outdoor burning, park only on paved surfaces, secure tow chains on trailers while driving\u00a0and never discard cigarette butts on the ground. They also warned that embers, not just flames, can travel more than a mile and are responsible for most home ignitions.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese measures aren\u2019t meant to scare you. They\u2019re meant to prepare you,\u201d said Pflugerville Fire Chief Nick Perkins, who joined the briefing alongside Austin Fire Chief Joel Baker and Fire Marshal Gary Howell.<\/p>\n
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Baker said Austin firefighters have undergone special training for wildland-urban interface fires\u2014meaning fires that occur where developed urban areas meet undeveloped wild land\u2014and continue to coordinate daily with county and state crews. Travis County agencies are maintaining a fleet of bulldozers and working with aircraft from STAR Flight and the Texas A&M Forest Service for rapid wildfire response.<\/p>\n
Resources for residents<\/p>\n
Watson and Brown encouraged homeowners\u2019 associations and neighborhood groups to request wildfire-safety presentations from city officials. Residents can schedule a free Structural Ignition Zone Evaluation through Austin 311 or at the city\u2019s Wildfire Hub (ATXWildfireHub.com), where they can also track active wildfires and learn how to protect property using defensible-space practices and noncombustible materials.<\/p>\n
People are also urged to sign up for emergency alerts at WarnCentralTexas.org and learn evacuation routes through ReadyCentralTexas.org.<\/p>\n
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\u201cWe can\u2019t protect Texas from wildfire without individual members of our community doing their part,\u201d Watson said. \u201cPlease be prepared, be aware and help spread the word.\u201d<\/p>\n
A risky forecast<\/p>\n
A dry and breezy cold front will move through Central Texas on Tuesday, increasing the wildfire threat across the region. Wind gusts could reach up to 25 mph\u2014strong enough to quickly spread any fires that develop.<\/p>\n
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The latest drought monitor now places parts of Travis County under extreme drought, the second-highest drought category, with the most severe conditions east of Interstate 35.<\/p>\n
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Drought monitor chart\u00a0for the Austin and San Antonio area.<\/p>\n
Courtesy of the National Weather Service<\/p>\n
Fortunately, there\u2019s some good news ahead. Rain chances return later this week\u2014the best opportunity all month\u2014as another cold front arrives Friday night into early Saturday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Temple firefighter Dillon Ischy mops up hot spots left by the Rolling Pines Fire on Jan. 20. The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":239388,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[4,450,451,3,452,453],"class_list":{"0":"post-239387","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-breaking-news","8":"tag-breaking-news","9":"tag-breakingnews","10":"tag-headlines","11":"tag-news","12":"tag-top-stories","13":"tag-topstories"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/239387","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=239387"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/239387\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/239388"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=239387"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=239387"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=239387"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}