Construction crews in West Lake Hills are now required to have a fire extinguisher and are prohibited from smoking on-site following an ordinance approved by West Lake Hills City Council on Aug. 23.
Officials are also encouraging residents to maintain brush on their property as leftover dead vegetation from Winter Storm Mara has increased wildfire risk, Anthony said.
West Lake Hills Mayor Linda Anthony said the ordinance comes as record-high temperatures and dry conditions have made the region more susceptible to wildfires.
Quote of note
“Wildfires spread very, very rapidly,” Anthony said. “Under the worst conditions, they can spread a mile a minute, so we felt like we needed to take whatever measures we could [and] encourage best practices throughout the city.”
Looking ahead
Construction crews only need to have fire extinguishers on-site during a burn ban; however, City Council is looking into making this a permanent requirement.
