VIDEOS: Travis County fire officials said they would take a new, proactive approach to reducing wildfires through the education of builders, landscapers, emergency responders and homeowners. The new initiative gives officials tools to reduce the risk of fires in eastern Travis County, Pflugerville Fire Department and ESD No. 2 Fire Chief Nick Perkins explained. Topics on which officials will be educated include the following “pillars:” fortifying structures, landscaping defensively, addressing spark or ember entry to homes and buildings, and maintaining a five-foot zone around a home or building. Perkins said embers can travel up to a mile and a half from the location of the fire. That’s why the risk becomes higher, even when wildfires seem far away. According to Travis County ESD No. 2 and Pflugerville Fire Department Chief Nick Perkins, wind-driven sparks or embers are the number one cause of wildfires.
