Where there is smoke, there is fire — but not in Austin.
Saturday afternoon the skies, particularly around South Austin and East Austin, are hazy and smell like smoke. Journalists in the area reported seeing ashes flying around just after 4 p.m.
The Austin Fire Department said about 3:30 p.m. people were calling 911 in response.
See Texas wildfire map: Smoke from Crabapple Fire near Fredericksburg reaches Austin
The department believes the smoke is being blown east from a fire near Fredericksburg.
Central Texas, and much of the surrounding area, including San Antonio, is under a red flag warning from the National Weather Service until at least 9 p.m. Saturday. Sunday through Tuesday are expected to have noncritical fire danger. On Wednesday, the critical fire danger returns, but just for one day, according to the service.
What is a red flag warning?
There is a red flag warning because the current conditions are:
- Winds 20 to 30 miles per hour with gusts up to 45 miles per hour
- Relatively low humidity, between 10-15%
- And fuel such as brush, trees and grass being critically dry
The National Weather Service wants you to do these things:
- Avoid outdoor burning.
- Keep vehicles off dry grass
- Properly discard cigarettes or anything flammable (think ashtrays or a nonflammable container, not the ground, and fully snuffed out)
The air quality, however, is not dangerous, according to AirNow, which reports the official U.S. air quality. AirNow is a partnership of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Park Service, NASA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and tribal, state and local air quality agencies. Ozone and particulate matter are in the moderate ranges for most of the Austin area.
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