Firefighters from across Kendall County spent the night of Tuesday, September 22 battling multiple wildfires across rough terrain, working through the darkness to bring the flames under control. By the time crews finally had a handle on the situation, they had responded to three separate fires across two fire districts in a single day.
A blaze broke out near Edge Falls, according to KABB, in an area about 40 miles north of San Antonio. The grass fire proved difficult to access, forcing emergency crews to use forestry hoses, hand tools and UTVs to reach parts of the fire that couldn't be reached any other way. The Sisterdale Fire Department provided an aerial view of the fire using a drone, per the station's report, helping guide crews through the rugged landscape.
As the Edge Falls fire grew in scale, every fire department in Kendall County responded, the outlet reported. A separate fire broke out the same day near RM 473, stretching resources even further across the county's volunteer fire service.
Crews Spread Thin Across Multiple Districts
The Sisterdale Volunteer Fire Department provided an aerial view of the Edge Falls fire using a drone. The department said teamwork was critical in getting through the day, according to the same account.
Firefighters at the scene coordinated with people moving water and equipment, EMS, emergency management officials, the fire marshal's office, the Texas A&M Forest Service, and agencies from outside Kendall County, per the KABB report. The Bergheim, Kendalia and Sisterdale fire departments stayed at Edge Falls overnight to monitor the area and continued cleanup into Wednesday.
Unincorporated Kendall County relies on seven volunteer fire departments coordinated through the Kendall County Fire Marshal's Office. The Fire Marshal's Office provides shared incident software to six of the county's seven volunteer departments and serves as liaison to the Commissioners Court.
A Countywide Burn Ban Was Already in Effect
The fires broke out while a Kendall County burn ban, reinstated on August 25, was in effect, according to Kendall County. Violating a county burn ban is classified as a Class C misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $500 under Texas Local Government Code § 352.081, according to Burn Ban Texas. County commissioners courts hold statutory authority to impose such bans for up to 90 days when severe drought or public safety hazards exist.
The Kendall County fires arrived amid a statewide drought emergency. As of its September 25 update, Texas A&M Forest Service data shared on Facebook reported 216 Texas counties under active burn bans. State fire officials have emphasized that human activity accounts for roughly nine out of 10 wildfires across Texas.
Rapid Growth Has Pushed More Homes Into Fire-Prone Terrain
The strain on Kendall County's volunteer departments comes as the county has grown quickly, with U.S. Census Bureau estimates showing its population expanding by 20.3 percent between 2020 and 2025, from 44,568 to 53,289 residents, largely due to domestic migration, according to Community Impact. That growth has placed Kendall County among the top 50 fastest-growing counties in Texas.
Kendall County's wildfire planning addresses the wildland-urban interface.
The county has taken steps to prepare. Kendall County has a Community Wildfire Protection Plan, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service. The plan addresses wildfire risk in the county.
For now, Kendall County's volunteer departments remain the front line against fires like the ones that broke out near Edge Falls and RM 473. With drought conditions persisting statewide and rugged Hill Country terrain slowing containment efforts, county officials continue to lean on the same small, mutual-aid network that got crews through the overnight response this week.
