As Central Texas continues to face hotter, drier summers, Austin homeowners must take wildfire prevention seriously—especially with our city’s dense tree cover. With guidance from trusted sources like BobVila.com, the City of Austin, and my own real estate experience, I’ve compiled key fire-safe landscaping and home maintenance tips to help you protect your property. From trimming trees to using fire-resistant materials near your home, these steps can make a big difference during wildfire season.

• Trim tree branches away from the house and chimney. Remove low-hanging limbs and raise them to 8–15 feet high.
• Clear leaves and debris from your roof and gutters.
• Cover outside attic vents with 1/8″ metal mesh to block flying embers. Fix or replace loose composition shingles or roof tiles since flying embers can lodge underneath them.
• When planting shrubs, space them several feet apart and away from your roofline. They can act as ladder fuel. 
• Choose wrought iron gates alongside your home. Wooden ones will draw fire closer to your walls. 

Pay attention to the heat and make your home fire-safe with these tips:

• Remove ladder fuel: trim bushes planted under your home’s eaves. They can become “ladder fuel” and help spread a fire toward the roof. If you are re-landscaping, avoid planting bushes close to the house. 
• Trim dead trees and limbs along your fence line. Dead brush spreads fires fast. 
• Also, use non-flammable fencing near your house so it doesn’t become ladder fuel.🔥