South Central Austin Edition | May 2025

Wildre risk intensies From the cover

The big picture

However, with 100-degree weather settling in, the risk of wild re is elevated as the area’s vegetation dries out, according to re ocials. A recent report from the Texas Comptroller’s Oce found that 85% of wild res in Texas ignite within just 2 miles of a community—putting an estimated 94,673 homes across the metro at moderate to high risk of wild re damage. An April 10 update to the city’s Wildland-Urban Interface, WUI, code revealed that more than half of all habitable land is at risk of wild re destruction, a 38% increase from a decade ago.

That said, in terms of severity, probability and likelihood, Travis County is considered only at moderate wild re risk presently, said Nick Perkins, Travis County Emergency Service District No. 2 re chief. Perkins, who has been with ESD No. 2 since 1998, said wild re risk tends to ebb and ow in cycles, based on local weather patterns. He noted that while some wild re seasons have been especially active, Travis County has never recorded a wild re-related death.

As summer approaches, local ocials are urging residents to prepare for a potential wild re season in Central Texas. This year, 21 wild res have burned over 11,000 acres across Central Texas, Travis County Commissioner Ann Howard said. In recent years, the Austin area has been among communities with the highest wild re risk nationwide, according to evaluations by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Forest Service.

Wildfire risk zones The Wildland-Urban Interface maps indicate where wildland vegetation intermixes with urban areas to identify wild re risk areas. Proximity zones A and B represent areas with the highest risk, but newly adopted changes expand Proximity Zone C to create a “buer zone” and designate more of Austin within a risk zone.

2015

2024

45 TOLL

183

130 TOLL

620

290

MOPAC

360

Wildlands*

Proximity Zone C: within 1.5 miles of 750+ acre wildland or 0.5 miles of 40+ acre wildland Proximity zones A & B: within 50-150 feet of 40+ acre wildland

130 TOLL

290

183

45 TOLL

*REPRESENTS 2024 CLASSIFIED WILDLAND; 2015 WILDLAND DATA UNAVAILABLE

45 TOLL

SOURCE: AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT WILDFIRE DIVISION¦COMMUNITY IMPACT

A closer look

Austin-area wildres at a glance Between Jan. 1, 2020, and March 20, 2025: 10K+ wild re calls were elded by local re departments 400 measurable acres burned* 23 of 63 Travis County ZIP codes considered to have an “elevated” or “high” wild re risk**

Steiner Ranch, have faced the highest wildre risks; however, the new WUI map indicates new risk areas in South Austin and neighborhoods just west of downtown, like Cherry Creek, St. Elmo and Tarrytown. Bock said these wildre risks stem from “heavy vegetation” and dicult topog- raphy to navigate when responding to wildres. He also noted that previous winter storms have left downed trees and dry brush countywide, which provides extra fuel for res. Although local departments routinely work to clear brush and reduce potential re fuels, about 70% of properties in the WUI are privately owned.

One contributing factor lies in Austin’s substantial WUI zone where developed and undeveloped areas meet. Southeast and southwest Travis County in particular pose similarly high risks of wildre but for dierent reasons, said David Bock, a wildre mitigation specialist with the Austin Fire Depart- ment. He said on the east side of Austin, headed toward Del Valle, high-density development has led to closely built structures along re-suscepti- ble grasslands, making it easier for re to transfer buildings quickly. Historically, neighborhoods in West Austin, like

*THESE FIGURES ARE ESTIMATES AND COULD BE AN UNDERCOUNT, PER OFFICIALS. **FIND A MAP OF HIGH RISK ZIP CODES AT WWW.ATXWILDFIREHUB.COM

SOURCE: AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT WILDFIRE DIVISIONCOMMUNITY IMPACT

COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM