Smoke in far east Austin due to prescribed fire: AFD

AUSTIN, Texas - You may see smoke in the air if you are driving near the SH 130 and HWY 290 intersection in far east Austin today.

The Austin Parks department, with assistance from Austin Fire, is conducting a prescribed burn at Louis Rene Barrera Indiangrass Wildlife Sanctuary on Wednesday, Jan. 31.

Officials say smoke may be visible from noon until sunset near the intersection of SH 130 and HWY 290, as well as around Decker Lane and Harris Branch.

Family saved by air purifier in Austin fire

A family's air purifier helped save their lives when their northwest Austin apartment complex caught fire last week.

What is a prescribed fire?

A prescribed fire is an intentionally set and controlled fire used to restore habitat, improve rangeland health, improve forest health, reduce wildfire risk and protect water supplies.

According to the city, Austin uses prescribed fires to restore native plant communities and reduce wildfire risk.

The city says that many local plant communities thrive when fire is applied under very strict conditions.