AUSTIN, Texas — As wildfires continue to rage across West Texas and in the Texas Panhandle, locals are looking ahead to what could be a rough wildfire season.
The Austin area is familiar with wildfires, and local fire officials say the time to prepare for fire season is now.
Dry trees, brush and overgrown vegetation are all big risks when fires ignite.
Justice Jones, a Wildfire Mitigation Officer for the Austin Fire Department, said what's happening right now in the Panhandle doesn't bode well for Central Texas' fire risks down the road.
"When the fire season starts out in the Panhandle, it means we're typically going to have a difficult fire season statewide. And Central Texas will have its turn fighting wildfires this year," Jones said.
In 2022, Jones said there were around 3,000 fires reported locally. But in 2023, that dropped to 2,000, even though wildfire conditions were worse.
"We increased our public awareness and outreach efforts to educate the public on their role in wildfire safety and preventing wildfires. And we saw over a third reduction in the number of starts," Jones said.
Residents like Tim Altanero are taking that initiative.
"I started myself, but with a handsaw. And then I quickly realized that I am not proficient in the use of a handsaw," Altanero said.
Altanero and his neighbors are removing dead trees and brush. His home caught on fire due to an electrical issue, so to see so many igniters near his home is nerve-wracking.
"They're all stone, but the roofs are all, shingles and asphalt and wood, so it can go up in flames in an instant," Altanero said.
"One of the things that keeps me up at night as a council member is the prospect of a wildfire," Austin City Councilmember Alison Alter said.
Alter said that fear is why the city and Travis County are working together to mitigate fire risks.
"We are entering into an agreement with Travis County, and together, we're going to hire a consultant that's going to help us to update the plan. It's going to include lots of regional players, both public and private folks," Alter said.
Jones said that prep needs to start now.
"Our crews are out conducting a prescribed burn to reduce the fuel that would be available for a wildfire. We're approaching, managing fire on our terms in our time frame, because we don't want to wait for a wildfire to strike," Jones said.
The city does have a Community Wildfire Protection Plan, as well as alert systems and more information on how to prepare ahead of these fires.