AM Update: Funds for Bastrop Fire Victims, Tech Firm Opens Austin Office,...
Good morning. We're looking at another hot one today, with a high of 102 degrees. Here's some of the region's top overnight stories. Rebuilding Grants for Bastrop Fire VictimsIt’s been just over one...
View ArticleRisky Fire Conditions Still in Place This Weekend
Much anticipated relief from triple-digit temperatures is coming Saturday – but at a cost.As KUT News reported yesterday, a dry cold front blowing in tomorrow is creating an elevated wildfire...
View ArticleTravis County To Buy $2.4 Million Fire Fighting Helicopter
Travis County will spend $2.4 million on a helicopter to fight fires. County commissioners approved the purchase today.The county already has three EC-145 helicopters, but Danny Hobby with Travis...
View ArticleFew Bastrop Fire Victims Apply for Federal Housing Aid
The Texas General Land Office says far fewer Bastrop fire victims have applied for federal housing aid than anticipated.Friday is the deadline for Bastrop fire victims to apply for the U.S. Department...
View ArticleFinal Day for Bastrop Fire Victims to Apply for Housing Aid
People who lost their homes in the Bastrop wildfires last year have until the end of business today to apply for federal housing aid.As KUT News previously reported, The Texas General Land Office says...
View ArticleEvacuating a Wildfire? There's an App for That
The American Red Cross has released a free mobile app to help people stay aware of wildfire danger.The app gives users instant access to a so-called “blaze tracker” that issues alerts when conditions...
View ArticleReport: Power Lines to Blame for Steiner Ranch Fire (Update)
Update: KUT News has received a copy of the full Steiner Ranch report from the Travis County Fire Marshall's Office. You can read the report here. Original post (10:34 a.m.): The 2011 fire in Steiner...
View ArticleTop Stories of 2012: The Central Texas Wildfires, One Year Later
Among the somber anniversaries of 2012: the one-year anniversary of the Central Texas wildfires.Thousands of people were forced out of their homes on Labor Day weekend of 2011 by the massive wildfires...
View ArticleBoy Scouts to Help Replant Bastrop Trees Destroyed by Fire
A popular campground in Bastrop that was devastated by the Labor Day wildfires in 2011 will be reforested with the help of Boy Scouts. Almost half of the 5,000-acre Griffith League Scout Ranch was...
View ArticleThe Lead: Ft. Hood Fire Response, Feds Won’t Arraign Armstrong
Good morning. The National Weather Service says Austin’s due for a high near 70, along with scattered clouds and maybe a stray thunderstorm.Lead Story: Federal prosecutors say Lance Armstrong won’t...
View ArticleWildflower Center Delivers Pine Saplings to Bastrop
The Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center made another delivery this week of 4,000 drought-resistant loblolly pine saplings to Bastrop County. Bastrop’s pine forests were ravaged by a wildfire in 2011...
View ArticleBell County Wildfire Getting Under Control
A wildfire about an hour north of the Austin area has grown to 450 acres, but a Texas A&M Forest Service official says it might end up being even larger once final measurements can be made.The fire...
View ArticleCouncil Takes Steps for Wildfire Protection
Every day without measurable rain worsens the risk of wildfire here in Central Texas. And the Austin Fire Department is stepping up its efforts to be ready.The Austin City Council Thursday approved a...
View ArticleMeet the Texas Conservation Corps
A youth organization that worked as a secondary emergency-response team during the Central Texas wildfires has a new name.Environmental Corps, a service program for American YouthWorks, is now the...
View ArticleAPD: New Chopper Gear Could Help Fight Wildfires (Update)
Update: The Austin City Council has approved a $1.17 million contract with Metro Aviation to outfit APD's new chopper.The council had already approved the purchase of a new helicopter, but this morning...
View ArticleTravis Co. Stares Down Wildfire Season with New Plan, Chopper
Central Texas isn’t taking any chances when it comes to wildfires.Today, Travis County unveiled a new STAR Flight helicopter designed to fight wildfires, and tomorrow the city and the county are...
View Article200 Acre Wildfire Prompts Evacuations in Smithville (Update)
Update: Bastrop County officials say the STAR Flight helicopter is being brought back out to help extinguish some flare ups in the area. Earlier this afternoon, Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative said it...
View ArticleThe Best Sources For Central Texas Wildfire Info
Wildfire season is in full swing. And due to Texas’ ongoing drought, the state remains at exceptional risk for wildfires.Wildfires spring up quickly and spread unexpectedly – making real-time...
View Article2013 Wildfire Season Proving To Be More Mild Than Wild
With 15,000 firefighters deployed and three dozen major wildfires currently burning in five Western states, this would seem to be a wildfire season for the record books. And in one tragic aspect, it...
View ArticleFinal Day for Bastrop Fire Victims to Apply for Housing Aid
People who lost their homes in the Bastrop wildfires last year have until the end of business today to apply for federal housing aid.As KUT News previously reported, The Texas General Land Office says...
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