As Texas’ summer wildfire season approaches, local Austin officials, fire departments and residents are ramping up efforts to protect their communities.
While wildfires in Northwest Austin are more prevalent in its wildland-heavy areas, not all properties within city limits are safe, Jollyville Fire Department Chief Brad Landi said.
“If you’re in a beautiful subdivision but you’re surrounded by hillsides and wildlands, depending which way the wind is blowing, you can have embers from a fire a mile away blow into the subdivision,” Landi said.
On April 10, Austin City Council adopted changes to its Wildland-Urban Interface, or WUI, code, showing a 13% increase in the amount of Austin at risk of wildfire where vegetation meets urbanization.
Local efforts to educate the community about creating defensible spaces around homes and using nonflammable materials are underway, along with mitigation efforts such as prescribed burns.
The big picture
More than 60% of structures in Austin are within the WUI, per city data. While more populated areas are less susceptible to wildfires, brush fires are still common due to greenbelts and parks, Landi said.
“You have urban and wildland [areas] next to each other or surrounding each other, and then you have the problems that grow because you’re trying to do both wildland firefighting as well as structural firefighting,” Landi said.
Weather events in recent years have increased the fire load in areas such as Northwest Austin, said Chris Dibrell, Fire Adapted Communities coordinator for the Austin Fire Department Wildfire Division. Dibrell said 90% of homes that catch fire are from embers carried by the wind, which can carry fire up to a mile and a half.
“[That] has increased the zone of urban development affected by a possible wildfire,” Dibrell said.
Some Austin communities are also part of Firewise, a National Fire Protection Association program that recognizes communities that meet a certain standard of wildfire preparation, Dibrell said. These communities conduct wildfire risk assessments, implement evacuation plans and more.
What’s being done
City Council first adopted the WUI Code in 2020, making Austin the first major city in Texas to do so, per city documents.
Its April 10 update included an amendment by Mayor Kirk Watson for the city manager to present council with an annual report on the code, and explore options for voluntary retrofitting of existing residential structures to mitigate wildfire risk.
Other mitigation efforts have been implemented at the local level. Dibrell said AFD was the first fire department of its size to complete the International Association of Fire Fighters’ Responding to the Interface program last year, which teaches firefighters strategies for responding to wildfires, particularly within the WUI.
At the state level, Landi said there is legislation currently going through the Office of Risk Management to assist firefighters, such as adding a fleet of air tankers that drop water and fire retardant over wildfires.
A closer look
The effects of climate change are also escalating wildfire potential, Dibrell said, as hotter temperatures for longer durations create dry conditions.
“All of those things add to the fuel’s ability to be available for fire,” Dibrell said.
Austin Water officials said wildfires in recent years have not impacted the city’s water supply, but the department has strategies in its 100-year resource plan to mitigate drought impacts as wildfire risk continues.
Wildfires in Northwest Austin
Between Jan. 1, 2022, and March 20, 2025, there were:
- 464 wildfire incidents*
- 10 measurable acres burned*
- 6,884 residential properties and 63 commercial properties considered to have an "elevated" or "above" wildfire risk
Note: This data pertains to ZIP codes 78727, 78729, 78750, 78758 and 78759.
Sources: AFD Research & Data Analytics, AFD Wildfire Division/Community Impact
Measuring the impact
Wildfires have continued to increase construction costs, from materials and labor to insurance, Oliver Custom Homes owner Paul Oliver said.
The current WUI Code states any properties that back up to a greenbelt must use nonflammable building materials, but some insurance companies that provide builders risk insurance policies won’t insure homes in areas with high wildfire risk, he said.
Some homeowners outside city limits are willing to spend the extra money on these materials to try and keep insurance premiums down or receive discounts, he said.
“Homeowners are looking for that because they don’t have the fire departments that we have here in the city, and they don’t have the fire mitigation [or] even the water supplies,” Oliver said.
Get involved
There are currently 24 Firewise communities in Austin with 72 more engaged in the process, per the AFD Wildfire Division. While home hardening is great for wildfire defense, Dibrell said talking to neighbors to create an overall “resilient community” is even better.
One such community is the Great Hills safety committee, originated by resident Wren Foster.
Foster’s goal is for the Great Hills Home Owners Association to adopt a wildfire reduction policy, which would include rules for using nonflammable building materials, clearing debris and limiting the amount of hazardous materials per property.
“Travis County is going to experience wildfires, but how large they are really depends on our actions now,” Foster said.
The Austin Emergency Management Office hosts monthly pop-ups that include information on how to prepare for wildfires and what to do during an evacuation.
- June 18: Austin Public Library Spicewood Springs Branch (District 6)
- Oct. 15: Austin Public Library Old Quarry Branch (District 10)
Landi said some residents may not have a choice on certain building materials but can still look for ways to be proactive.
“It’s a tough one to go into neighborhoods and discuss that,” Landi said. “They don’t realize a fire a mile away can really affect them.”
Residents can also request a free Structural Ignition Zone Evaluation where an AFD Wildfire Division adviser walks the exterior of a home and offers individualized wildfire preparedness suggestions, Dibrell said.
The department did 176 evaluations last year, he said. This year, there have been nearly 500 requests so far, with many coming from the Northwest Austin area.
“They may not be able to affect the fuel load on the other side of their fence that might belong to a park or something like that, ... but they can always affect how their home is prepared,” Dibrell said.
According to the Jollyville Fire Department, ways to protect homes and families from wildfires include:
- Keep gutters clean and install gutter guards.
- Plant drought-tolerant and fire-resistant plants.
- Trim shrubs below windows.
- Regularly remove brush from the property.
- Keep essential items such as house titles, passports, insurance and tax information in a fireproof safe.
