Liberty County ESD No. 7 Hardin Fire/Rescue responded to a structure fire on Wednesday, Aug. 28, on CR 2360, just outside the Hardin city limits. The call came in reporting that a home was already partially engulfed in flames.
Hardin Fire Department was notified at 2:25 p.m., and Engine 701, with a crew of three, and Tanker 701, with one firefighter, were dispatched to the scene. Engine 701 arrived in less than five minutes.
Hardin Fire Chief Nicolus Nelson recounted the events: “In under five minutes we arrived on scene to find a double wide manufactured mobile home with fire and smoke showing from the front of the residence. Two vehicles were in immediate danger with their close proximity to the home. An offensive attack was initiated, and the fire was quickly extinguished within 2 minutes of arrival. We asked for mutual aid from Liberty County ESD No. 2 just after dispatch and they arrived to help. After the fire was safely extinguished salvage and overhaul operations began. During this time a cause and origin investigation was initiated. Preliminary findings point to a possible electrical malfunction near the living room wall. My crew was able to help the homeowners save some of their items. Thankfully there were no injuries or loss of life in this fire.”
Richard Ewing, board president and fire commissioner for Liberty County ESD No. 7, praised Chief Nelson and his crew: “I’m extremely happy we have a chief and day crew firefighters on the clock Monday though Friday. We implemented this program a couple of years ago and have maintained the paid staffing through our sales tax revenues. It was not an easy decision to allocate such a large portion of our budget to payroll, but situations like this fire reinforce the fact that our board made the right decision.”
Liberty County ESD No. 7, a political subdivision created by district voters, is supported through sales tax and property tax revenues. They contract with the Hardin Volunteer Fire Department to provide manpower and fire/rescue services, collectively operating as Hardin Fire/Rescue.
Ewing also emphasized the importance of community involvement in supporting Hardin Fire/Rescue.
“We welcome anyone who has a desire to help their fellow citizens,” he said, noting that volunteer opportunities are available not only for firefighters but also for support staff.
The recent completion of the Moss Hill Station is expected to attract additional volunteers, which is crucial given the size of the district.
“You may not realize it, but our district stretches from the Liberty city limits all the way to just north of Snake River, north of Moss Hill. We cover the entire eastern bank of the Trinity from Liberty to the northern boundary,” Ewing explained.
He went on to highlight the day crew program, which was initiated to address the challenge of weekday availability.
“We started the day crew program because almost all volunteers are working during the weekdays. Our day crew is staffed with professional firefighters who work full-time for other departments but pick up extra shifts with us on their days off. This recent fire is an example of how we turned what would have been a 20-plus minute response time into one of less than five minutes. In any emergency, seconds count, and I feel like the guys did a great job minimizing damage to the vehicles and helping to salvage some items,” Ewing said.
Looking ahead, Ewing expressed optimism about expanding the program.
“We are taking a hard look at our upcoming budget, and we will be able to add Saturdays to our day crew schedule starting in October. As the Moss Hill area continues to grow, we will add a crew to Station Two as sales tax revenue allows,” he said.
Ewing also took a moment to express his gratitude: “I sincerely thank everyone in our community who has supported us through fundraisers and, more importantly, by shopping locally and keeping the tax monies in our community.”
For more information on volunteering or supporting Hardin Fire/Rescue, visit the website at www.lcesd7.org or call the station at 936-298-2828.