TVFD currently working a power line fire on County Road 324 east of FM 986. Unfortunately, almost 3 hours in and having already broken two previous ETAs, there is not yet an Oncor representative on scene. The fire has burned through the top of the pole and allowed primary lines to partially fall, taking power out to nearby residents. Please use caution in this area.
#Terrell #TerrellVFD #Oncor #OncorWhereAreYou
TVFD mourns the sudden and unexpected loss of Stephen Edwards, a member of TVFD's Board of Directors. Stephen volunteered for almost 2 years on our Board, using his business aptitude to help oversee our financials and long-term capital expenditures. May he rest in peace.
At 9:27pm Tuesday night, your Terrell volunteer firefighters were dispatched to the area of CR 237A on a structure fire. Multiple callers reported heavy fire in a residence with a person potentially still inside. A large glow could be seen from the area. Aid was immediately requested from Terrell FD, Elmo FD, and Ables Springs FD.
Firefighters arrived less than 7 minutes after dispatch to find heavy fire through the roof. A search was initiated and the person reported inside was located. Firefighters used hand lines and an engine-mounted deck gun to bring the fire under control. Unfortunately, the combination of heavy fire involvement on arrival, gusty winds, and water supply challenges made fire control challenging and the home suffered catastrophic damage. While the investigation is ongoing, it is believed that the fire originated from an overturned heat lamp in the garage which was being used to keep baby chicks warm.
Most FD resources cleared the scene at 1:56am after conducting extensive overhaul, using more than 30,000 gallons of water. TVFD personnel have and will continue to return throughout the day to check for hot spots and conduct any additional overhaul required.
While working this fire, a nearby resident chose to blast down CR 237A on his dirt bike, narrowly avoiding emergency responders on multiple occasions. The Fire Marshal on scene responded, finding that the subject had already crashed into a culvert. After evaluation by EMS, the rider was booked into the Kaufman County Jail on reckless driving charges and his bike was impounded.
TVFD encourages caution with any heat sources or open flames inside your home. A heat lamp and some bedding for animals can turn into a major fire in seconds.
We also ask that motorists use caution and avoid areas where firefighters are working. We shouldn't have to dodge dirt bike riders and their poor decisions while working a fire.
TVFD appreciates all of our mutual aid partners who responded to assist.
Update - Highway cleared. All units clear.
#BREAKING TVFD currently working a 2 vehicle crash on FM 429 north of CR 319. CareFlite helicopter responding. 429 is closed - avoid this area!
UPDATE: Highway reopened. All units clear.
#BREAKING TVFD working a 2-vehicle crash eastbound I-20 west of FM148. Left lane and right shoulder closed. Expect delays.
#majoraccident #Terrell #crash #terrelltx #terrelltexas #firefighters #firefighter #roadclosed #TerrellVFD
BURN BAN LIFTED
By order of the Kaufman County Fire Marshal, the countywide burn ban has been rescinded effective immediately. Outdoor burning in accordance with standard regulations is now permitted. Please ensure that all fires are conducted safely, in accordance with state law, and that they are attended with a readily available water source until they have completely burned out.
Questions? DM us or contact the Fire Marshal’s office.
We continue seeing people ask about whether a burn ban is still in effect. The answer? Absolutely. Why, you might ask? See the attached photos.
At 5:34pm Tuesday evening, your Terrell volunteer firefighters were dispatched to a grass fire in the area of County Road 249. Firefighters arrived to find approximately 1/2 acre of grass on fire with slow fire progression toward an occupied home. Brush 1 initiated a direct attack, supported by Engine 2 and Rescue 1, and quickly extinguished the fire. The cause? The caller was mowing with his zero-turn (to be clear - doing absolutely nothing wrong) and hit some debris causing a small spark. He looked back, saw the fire, and immediately called 911. If one small spark can do this, it's clearly too dry for larger burns. Let's hope that the next few days bring some significant rainfall and that conditions improve.
This fire was one of 5 calls for TVFD on Tuesday, including 4 that occurred at the same time (2 separate calls for this fire, a medical call in the Poetry area, and a minor crash at FM 148 and FM 987). Handling all of those calls requires a large number of trained and motivated people! Are you looking for a highly-fulfilling way to give back to the community? Thinking about pursuing firefighting or EMS as a career and want to build training and experience? We've got a seat for you! We require no prior training, we provide all your equipment, and we have no residency requirement.
TVFD would like to thank Terrell FD for responding to the vehicle crash until we had this fire contained and were able to send a unit over to relieve them.
We've received several questions lately about whether the burn ban is still in effect. The answer? Yes, absolutely! Now, we know people say "but we just had snow and ice last week! Why do we need a burn ban?" Our answer is simple - just look at this picture.
At 2:24pm this afternoon, TVFD was dispatched to a grass fire in the area of Colquitt Road. Firefighters arrived 11 minutes later to find what you see here... a small controlled burn (located where the arrow points) took off and was running toward much thicker fuels and occupied homes. Fortunately, TVFD personnel were able to quickly bring the fire under control - but look at how far the fire traveled! At the time of the fire, the humidity was 18% and the winds were out of the west at 14mph.
This weekend's weather includes more of the same... dry, warm, and moderately windy. Last week's cold snap cured the copious amounts of grasses and brush out there. Burning conditions will continue to be elevated. Please continue observing the burn ban, stay safe, and have a great weekend!
Kaufman County has been placed under a BURN BAN effective today. The ban will expire in 90 days unless cancelled early or extended.
Burn bans prohibit all regularly-permitted outdoor burning - including burn barrels with trash and open burning of limbs, leaves, and other natural products. Burn ban violations may lead to criminal penalties through the Kaufman County Fire Marshal’s Office.
Help us keep the trucks warm and cozy in their bays by heeding this ban!
#TerrellVFD #terrell #terrelltx #firefighter #firefighters #burnban #donotburn
2025 was another record-setting year for TVFD, responding to a total of 908 calls for service. With the continued growth in the county, 2026 is already off to a busy start! What would you like to see from TVFD in the coming year?
Did you make a New Year's resolution to find new ways to help your community? Learn new things? Receive training that could work toward a new job? TVFD continuously recruits new members and we need you! If you're interested in joining, drop us a DM.
2026 started off with a bang for your Terrell Volunteer firefighters! At 1:25am on New Year's, TVFD was dispatched to the area of Norton Ct. for a reported structure fire. Multiple callers reported a large shed and multiple vehicles on fire with fire extending to an occupied structure and residents possibly still inside. As firefighters responded, additional help was requested from Terrell FD, @Elmo Fire Department, and Kaufman FD. Callers also reported multiple explosions from the fire. Careflite EMS and the County Fire Marshal were also requested to the scene.
Firefighters arrived 8 minutes after dispatch to find a shed, two vehicles, and multiple motorcycles with heavy fire showing. Flames were directly impinging on the occupied residence and on another trailer. E1 deployed two 1.75" attack lines and initiated a transitional attack, cooling the home before moving inside the shed and attacking the main body of fire. During the fire attack, additional explosions occurred (attached photos show where large gas cylinders ignited and went through the building). Searches were conducted of all structures with no one found.
Fortunately, firefighters were able to prevent further fire spread to the home. The fire was placed under control 24 minutes after arrival. Significant overhaul was required thanks to all of the flammable chemicals involved, the gas in the burned vehicles, etc. All fire units cleared the scene at 4:49am.
As always, TVFD greatly appreciates the assistance from our mutual aid partners. We also thank Kaufman SO and Texas DPS personnel who responded quickly, provided additional information, and cleared the road for us.
The county continues to grow and so does our call volume! Looking for a way to give back in 2026? Build knowledge and training that could lead to full-time work in the fire service? Join us! Drop us a DM and let's talk.
#TerrellVFD #structurefire #workingfire #smokeshowing #letsrollem
TVFD WELCOMES NEW SQUAD
TVFD would like to welcome the newest member of our apparatus fleet, Squad 1! Squad 1 will primarily be used to pull our UTV and light trailers, to transport additional personnel to scenes, or to take members to trainings and other business. It will also be equipped with EMS equipment to back up Rescue 1 in the EMS first response role.
Squad 1 is equipped with a host of the latest technology to make scenes safer for our members and the public:
- Whelen Core lighting system allows us to change light patterns for different operating modes (responding versus blocking, night versus day) and to synchronize those lights with other apparatus on scenes.
- Haas Alert will warn vehicles via apps (Waze, Apple Maps) and in-car navigation to the presence of an emergency vehicle. It also warns the driver if it believes two emergency vehicles will cross paths, reducing the chance of a collision.
- Whelen Howler low-frequency siren provides siren tones you can feel, not just hear
- OnSiteDecals full 3M reflective graphics package profiles the vehicle to help keep the unit from being struck on scene
Squad 1 was designed and built in-house, saving taxpayers thousands of dollars while allowing TVFD to build a vehicle that is truly custom to our needs. As always, we appreciate the commissioners of Kaufman County ESD 3 for their trust and support in funding projects such as these along with our residents and corporate donors.
Squad 1 is in service today - give us a wave if you see it on the road! If you could see yourself behind the wheel, TVFD continuously accepts applications for new members. Drop us a DM and join us!
#TerrellVFD #firefighter #firefighters #makemeafirefighter #newride #squad1
