Highland Lakes fire season still smoldering
A large stretch of brush along Texas 71 in southern Burnet County was burned in a blaze on Thursday, Sept. 17. This was just one of many fires that local first responders have tackled in the Highland Lakes 2026 fire season. Photo contributed by Spicewood Fire Rescue Captain Andrew Hunt
Firefighters across the Highland Lakes have been consistently battling blazes for weeks, and the fire risks are still there despite fall fast approaching. Local officials are warning residents to be cautious amid the persistent, dry, hot conditions plaguing Burnet and Llano counties.
“Right now, we’ve seen multiple stretches of days over 100 degrees mixed with little to no rainfall,” Burnet County Emergency Management Coordinator Ed Hashbarger told DailyTrib. “We’re having several fires a week right now. Most of them are due to human activity.”
One of the latest fires was an 11-acre blaze that spread on Thursday, Sept. 17, along Texas 71 near Double Horn. According to Spicewood Fire Rescue Captain Andrew Hunt, that fire was accidentally started by a landowner who was shredding brush on his property. Multiple agencies responded to that fire, and they had it extinguished by around 5:30 p.m.
“This guy was shredding on his property and hit a rock,” he said. “That is all it took.”
While there is some rain on the Highland Lakes forecast Sunday, Sept. 20 through Tuesday, Sept. 22, Hunt said that no outdoor burning should be taking place until the current burn ban is currently in effect.
“Even if we get some rain, that doesn’t mean you can go out and light up your burn pile,” he said.
Burnet County EMC Hashbarger went on to say that agencies all over the Highland Lakes have been working closely together with the support of the Texas Forest Service to keep the 2026 fires season under control.
“Even though we’re having a lot of fire activity, we’ve been able to stay on top of it because of our preparation and readiness,” he said. “A lot of these fire departments were expecting these fires due to the overgrowth from the spring. They’ve been ready. Everybody is working as hard as they can.”
Hashbarger was referring to the enormous amount of vegetation left over from a wet summer, winter, and spring, which has all now become fuel for the current blazes sparking across Burnet and Llano counties.
“We’re not out of the woods yet with the dry weather and everyone is aware of how vulnerable we are right now,” he said.