"Critical fire weather conditions" are possible in the Austin area Friday and Saturday, the National Weather Service said.
The NWS issued a red flag warning along the I-35 corridor from noon to 9 p.m. Friday due to a combination of strong winds, warm temperatures and low humidity in the forecast. A warning will also be in effect Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
The warnings include Travis, Williamson and Hays counties. Find a map of the affected areas here.
Fire Chief Scott Collard with North Hays County Fire and Rescue said the department will be taking every small fire seriously going into the weekend.
" When we get into these higher fire danger days, we change our response plans," he said. "On these days, where we get this super potential for having a fire get out of control very quickly, we double the response on every grass or brush fire call."
Wind gusts of up to 35 mph are possible along and west of the I-35 corridor. Winds are forecast to diminish after sunset Friday, but are expected to pick up again in the morning, NWS said, resulting in another critical fire weather day. Gusts on Saturday could go up to 45 mph.
" We've had a few [fires] that have gotten away from us and those sometimes turn into multiday events," Collard said. "They can be very devastating to the community."
Multiple brush fires in Hays County last week led to evacuations and strong winds caused power outages in the Austin area.
Collard said it doesn't take a lot to get a fire going. The majority of wildfires are caused by human activities, according to the NWS. That includes unattended campfires, discarded cigarettes, sparks from machinery or trucks, equipment malfunctions and arson.
A report released last summer ranked Austin fifth in the nation of homes at risk of being destroyed by wildfires.
“We’re sitting on the edge of a major catastrophic fire,” Randy Denzer, a former battalion chief with the Austin Fire Department, told KUT's Audrey McGlinchy for a story that published Thursday.
To prevent and prepare for wildfires, the Austin Wildfire Division advises residents:
- Clean house gutters
- Move flammable outdoor furniture inside
- Keep grills off grass
- Come up with an evacuation plan
- Build a go bag with essentials like clothes and medication
Follow the latest updates from the National Weather Service below or here.
