Reverse Fire: Crews battle wildfire west of Fredericksburg
The affected area is estimated at 75 acres and it's 45% contained as of Tuesday night, per a press release.
The fire broke out around 2:45 p.m. near the 400 block of East Grand Oaks Drive, the release said. It has generally moved east and north and is located before U.S Highway 290 and Reeh-Weinheimer Road.
Fredericksburg Fire/EMS Department, in conjunction with the volunteer fire departments of Gillespie County, crews from across the region and the Texas A&M Forest Service continue to battle the blaze.
'Thanks to the coordination and quick response of our crews, we were able to get containment started on this fire,' said Fredericksburg Fire Chief Lynn Bizzell. Bizzell said the cedar trees and numerous piles of dead vegetation throughout the area have continued to ignite and throw embers to start new spot fires.
'Our team will continue to work throughout the night to make sure there are no flare-ups,' Bizzell assured.
There are no known road closures at this time, and the cause of the fire has not been determined, officials said.
The city urged the public to avoid the area as crews continue to work. People in the area should listen to crews on the ground and residents were encouraged to avoid activities that could potentially ignite additional fires.
Gillespie County remains in exceptional drought conditions.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Experts Answer Looming Questions About the Catastrophic Texas Floods
The rain came fast, and the river rose even faster. On Friday, July 4, more than six inches of rain fell in just three hours across the Texas Hill Country. In less than an hour, the Guadalupe River surged 26 feet — sweeping away everything, and everyone, in its path. At least 109 people were killed, including 27 campers and counselors at Camp Mystic, and hundreds more remain missing. As the states reel from one of the deadliest floods in recent memory, one question looms large: Was this a freak act of nature, or a predictable disaster fueled by climate change and years of ignored warnings? To find out, we spoke with experts — including those at Texas A&M University, home to one of the country's leading climate and atmospheric science programs. To what extent did climate change contribute to the severity of the recent Texas floods? Experts agree: The deadly floods in the Texas Hill Country were fueled by climate change. A warmer atmosphere holds more moisture, which means today's storms are capable of dumping far more rain than they used to. On July 4, up to 12 inches of rain fell in Central Texas in a matter of hours, according to National Weather Service radar estimates. And there's solid research to back that up. A 2024 report published by Texas A&M University found that extreme rainfall events in the state have already increased by about 10 percent due to climate change. That number could double in the coming decades, reaching a 20 percent increase compared to a century ago. Last week's rainfall was especially intense because the remnants of Tropical Storm Barry swept over Texas after making landfall in Mexico. But even that storm reflects a larger trend. As the planet warms, tropical systems are producing more rainfall. That's because the oceans — which have absorbed most of the excess heat trapped by human activity — are getting warmer. Warmer oceans fuel stronger storms, and when you pair that with hotter air that can carry more moisture, the result is bigger, wetter systems with greater potential for flooding. We saw this on full display last year, when Hurricane Helene brought catastrophic floods to Appalachia. But few places are as vulnerable as the Texas Hill Country, which is nicknamed 'Flash Flood Alley.' (Having grown up there, I remember barely blinking an eye when the waters rose.) For those unfamiliar with the terrain, the risk lies in its rugged geography. Saravanan Ramalingam, Ph.D., head of the Atmospheric Science Department at Texas A&M, explains that the steep limestone hills and thin layer of soil create a funneling effect. Instead of soaking in, rainwater surges downhill fast, turning a downpour into a dangerous flash flood. And this isn't just a Texas problem. Across the U.S., storms are getting stronger. The most intense downpours are expected to become even more extreme, heightening the risk of flash floods well beyond the Hill Country. According to the National Climate Assessment, more than a third of the $230 billion in inland flood damage nationwide between 1988 and 2021 can be directly linked to human-caused climate change. Could Texas have been better prepared? As the death toll from the catastrophic flooding in Texas climbs, questions are mounting about whether local officials in Kerr County — one of the hardest-hit areas — did enough to protect residents. After all, this isn't the first time such a tragedy has struck the region. In July 1987, heavy rains triggered a flash flood of the same river. It forced the evacuation of another Christian camp near the rural town of Comfort, where 10 teenagers were swept away and killed. Unlike neighboring counties like Guadalupe and Comal, which installed flood sirens nearly a decade ago, Kerrville had no outdoor warning system in place. Just down the road, New Braunfels regularly tests its sirens — a standard practice in a region known for flash floods. But in Kerr County, officials admitted over the weekend that no such system exists. It's not because they didn't have the chance. After deadly floods tore through southeast Texas in 2016, killing dozens and destroying homes, President Barack Obama declared a major disaster. That declaration unlocked over $100 million in FEMA funding to help Texas communities recover — and prepare for the next one. Kerr County requested $1 million to build a flood warning system. But some local officials pushed back on the cost. 'I think this whole thing is a little extravagant for Kerr County,' then-Commissioner Buster Baldwin said at the time. 'I see the word sirens and all that stuff in here.' Efforts to address the problem at the state level have also made little progress. Texas House Bill 13, introduced in the most recent legislative session, aimed to create a statewide plan for outdoor sirens and offer funding to help rural communities install them. But the bill died in the Legislature, dismissed by critics as too expensive, even as the need for warning systems became more urgent. Now, one painful question lingers: Could this alert system really have made a difference? On Friday morning, more than six inches of rain fell in just three hours, and the Guadalupe River surged 26 feet in just 45 minutes. And the state saw the storm coming. In the 48 hours preceding the flood, officials activated emergency response plans and pre-positioned resources in the region. But critical alerts came too late for many. The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning at 1:14 a.m., followed by an upgraded flash flood emergency at 4:03 a.m. — but by then, most people were likely asleep, unaware of the danger rising just outside their doors. 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The NOAA lost hundreds of employees during that period, including key roles within the National Weather Service. According to The Hill, the Austin/San Antonio Weather Service office lost its warning coordination meteorologist to a Trump administration-issued buyout in April. (Around the same time, its science operations officer — the person responsible for implementing new forecasting technology — also retired.) Some scientists argue the lack of preparation wasn't just bad luck, but the result of these cuts — and years of broader disinvestment. 'We witnessed with this particular event that our current federal government and the Governor of Texas were completely unprepared to deal with it properly,' said Michael Mann, a professor of earth and environmental science at the University of Pennsylvania. 'There are several reasons — including the massive layoffs of governmental first responders by the current administration and similar policies by the Republican Governor of Texas, as well as the defunding of federal weather forecasters and flood managers. Adding insult to injury is the fact that both the administration and the governor have actively denied the threat of climate change and opposed policies to address it.' Still, some experts say that while staffing losses may have affected internal communication, the core forecasting operations held up. 'When it comes to the official products issued by the National Weather Service — the watches, the warnings — it's clear to me that the vacant positions didn't affect that part of the process,' says Erik R. Nielsen, an instructional assistant professor in the Department of Atmospheric Sciences at Texas A&M University. 'The alerts went out as expected, and the office even brought in additional staff to ensure coverage. So operationally, things were functioning.' But, he added, what's harder to evaluate is whether the 'background communication between civil authorities and the office was the same as it would've been had those positions been in place.' Despite the finger-pointing, many climate scientists say forecasters did the best they could under difficult conditions. Dr. Nielsen notes that the warnings were about as timely and accurate as possible, given the real-time data available. Forecasting extreme rainfall and flash flooding more than a few hours in advance remains notoriously difficult due to both scientific and technological limitations. 'Hyperlocal forecasting is possible, but it depends on hyperlocal data — and we just don't have that level of detailed observation yet,' he says. 'Without it, even the best models, whether traditional or AI-driven, struggle to deliver neighborhood-level accuracy. The same goes for hydrologic models. 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The Hill
4 days ago
- The Hill
Data: Kerr County sent first targeted alert two days after deadly flood
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Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Yahoo
As Kerr County leaders avoid alert questions, new audio surfaces in CodeRED timeline
KERR COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) – Dispatch audio has surfaced from the critical hours before a deadly flood hit its height in Kerr County, helping piece together the timeframe local officials have yet to provide amid public scrutiny of their decisions on July 4. 'We still have water coming up,' an Ingram volunteer firefighter is heard telling a county sheriff dispatcher at 4:22 a.m. 'The Guadalupe Schumacher sign is underwater on State Highway 39. Is there any way we can send a CodeRED out to our Hunt residents, asking them to find higher ground or stay home?' LISTEN: Ingram volunteer firefighter calls Kerr County dispatch during deadly July 4 flood, requesting CodeRED alert. CodeRED is a notification system some agencies use to send emergency alerts to subscribers' cell phones. Online, the county encourages residents to sign up for the free service, which 'has the ability to notify the entire county or only the affected areas' about emergency situations – including severe weather – 'in a matter of minutes.' In the recording obtained by KXAN investigators from a credible source, the dispatcher then tells the firefighter: 'We have to get that approved with our supervisor. Just be advised we do have the Texas water rescue en route.' The timing of that request came more than three hours after the National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning – at 1:14 a.m. – for a portion of the county and around 20 minutes after the federal forecasting agency warned of a flash flood emergency – at 4:03 a.m. – in the area. Sheriff hints at 'after action' review, as records reveal warning of 'worst-case flood event' It is still unclear at what time CodeRED alerts went out, as local officials have largely sidestepped related questions. Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring, Jr. told reporters the only CodeRED notification he received was at 6 a.m., indicating a flash flood alert or 'something to that effect.' Ceslie Armstrong, who identified herself as a San Antonio-based producer and journalist – and longtime Hill Country resident who is subscribed to CodeRED – provided KXAN investigators with call recordings and text messages she said she received during the flood. The first was a text received at 5:34 a.m., saying a 'The NWS has issued a Flash Flood Warning for your… location.' It was followed a minute later by a pre-recorded audio message, saying the same, adding to 'take immediate action for your protection.' CodeRED alerts from Kerr County on July 4 (Courtesy Ceslie Armstrong) Another person near the flooded area who spoke with KXAN shared a cell phone screenshot, showing a much earlier alert time with a voicemail left at 1:14 a.m. from a number traced back to CodeRED. It suggests inconsistencies in recipients countywide. Responding to CodeRED concerns during a Wednesday press event, Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said an 'after action' review would happen after recovery and notifying victims' families. 'I know that's going to be asked over and over,' Leitha said. 'Please understand that… We're not going to hide from everything, that's going to be checked into at a later time.' On Thursday morning, officials updated the county's death toll to 96. A total of 161 people were still missing. County commissioners approved the use of CodeRED in 2009 for $25,000 a year. On the county's website, it states the 'system delivered pre-recorded emergency phone messages' when 'rapid and accurate notification is essential for life safety.' Historically, the sheriff has had the ultimate authority on sending an alert to the public. KXAN is awaiting a response and fulfillment of records requests we made to the county and other local officials to better understand decisions regarding the notifications during this flood. On Tuesday, Leitha told reporters: 'It's not that easy, and you just push a button. OK? There's a lot more to that.' When asked if that happened, he responded: 'I can't tell you at this time.' Critics point to challenges with CodeRED using publicly available phone numbers and voluntary registration to send texts, voicemails and emails – meaning warnings may not reach all residents or visitors in a disaster area. However, the company behind CodeRED has explained it can also utilize IPAWS, the Integrated Public Alert & Warning System funded by FEMA – which alerts all phones in a geographical area, regardless of enrolling in the system. According to FEMA, 135 Texas agencies or entities use IPAWS, including Kerr County and the City of Kerrville. 'Each local jurisdiction independently determines their intended use of tools such as CodeRED as well as their local process to dispatch notifications and alerts using the tool,' a CodeRED corporate spokesperson told KXAN investigators. 'Local governments also determine whether to send alerts through IPAWS during the alert creation process within CodeRED.' In 2012, The Kerrville Daily Times reported 18,451 people had signed up for CodeRED alerts in the area. In 2020, county commissioners approved incorporating IPAWS into CodeRED, so that tourists could be reached even if they were not in the local database, according to meeting minutes and a video archive KXAN investigators reviewed. 'The easiest way to explain it is, say you're traveling through this area and we've had something happen here, it could still notify you if we send it out,' former Kerr County Sheriff William 'Rusty' Hierholzer told commissioners in a November 2020 meeting. Since last week's flood, officials have fielded questions regarding the effectiveness of CodeRED alerts in the county's rural areas where cell service can be spotty. Officials have also said many of the children at camps along the Guadalupe River did not have phones with them. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
