Austin Texas News

According to the U.S. Air Quality Index, March 15 marked the highest level of air pollutants in the past 30 days. AUSTIN, Texas — Recent wildfire smoke and wind gusts have worsened respiratory symptoms for some Austinites. One local physician said more patients are coming into his office worried about air quality-related complications.  A wildfire about 80 miles away in Gillespie County sent plumes of smoke into the area on Saturday afternoon. According to the…

According to the U.S. Air Quality Index, March 15 marked the highest level of air pollutants in the past 30 days. AUSTIN, Texas — Recent wildfire smoke and wind gusts have worsened respiratory symptoms for some Austinites. One local physician said more patients are coming into his office worried about air quality-related complications.  A wildfire about 80 miles away in Gillespie County sent plumes of smoke into the area on Saturday afternoon. According to the…

Here are the latest updates from the KVUE Weather Impact Team. AUSTIN, Texas — A Wind Advisory is in effect until 10 PM Tuesday for Llano, Burnet, Williamson, Travis, Milam, Lee, Bastrop, and Caldwell County* Out-the-door conditions will be comfortable on Tuesday in Central Texas, with temperatures in the 50s and 60s areawide. Winds will be gusting out of the south, adding some humidity to the air today. This will be key to our lower…

As of around 8:30 p.m. Monday, the Crabapple Fire is 85% contained. AUSTIN, Texas — Fire crews in Gillespie County, along with the Texas A&M Forest Service, are continuing to battle a 9,737-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…

Evacuations are underway in Gillespie County as a new wildfire spreads near I-10 in the area of Duderstadt Road. GILLESPIE COUNTY, Texas — Evacuations are underway after a new wildfire sparked in Gillespie County on Monday. According to the Gillespie County Communications Center 911 Emergency Dispatch, the fire is burning off Interstate Highway 10 and traveling north in the area of the 498-mile marker/Duderstadt Road, near Harper. As of around 6:15 p.m. Monday, Duderstadt Road…

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…