Some Hays County residents under evacuation orders due to active wildfires
As of about 5:30 p.m., evacuation orders were active for residents living within half a mile of the 4400 block of FM 150 in Kyle, according to a Facebook post from the Hays County Sheriff's Office.
The post said an earlier evacuation order had been lifted for residents living within 3 miles of the 800 block of Engelke Road in Niederwald.
Hays County said at about 5:30 p.m. in a post on X that "the location of the current fire in Hays County" was north of Indian Hills Trail, east of Teal Lane, west of Story Drive and north of Onion Creek.
"It is currently confined within the Onion Creek area," the post said. It directed residents to the website, www.haysinformed.com.
Hays County emergency response agencies are sending evacuation alerts through Warn Central Texas. Residents can sign up to receive alerts at www.warncentraltexas.org.
The Austin Fire Department sent a few units to Hays County to assist with the fires there, said Mark Bridges, department division chief.
There were no fires of concern in Travis County, Bridges said in an interview shortly after 5 p.m.
Bridges said the department brought in eight additional wildland firefighter units in anticipation of the high fire risk expected Tuesday.
A Red Flag Warning is in effect for the entire region through 9 p.m. due to extreme fire risk, according to the National Weather Service's Austin/San Antonio office.
"Very strong wind gusts and low relative humidity will support the rapid spread and difficult suppression of any wildfires that may ignite," the office said. "Avoid activities that could cause a wildfire!"
The Austin-area continues to see large amounts of dust in the sky due to the strong winds but is not under any kind of advisory.
The National Weather Service in San Angelo has issued a rare Blowing Dust Advisory for the areas around Abilene. The advisory warns drivers of hazardous road conditions and reduced visibility to less than a mile.
Firefighters have been working to contain a major blaze west of Johnson City that has been dubbed the Klett Fire, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service and the Blanco County Sheriff's Office.
As of mid-afternoon Tuesday it spanned as much as 100 acres and was 0% contained.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Some Hays County residents under evacuation orders due to wildfire
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