Rusk County Rescue Unit

10/06/2026

🚒 NATIONAL NIGHT OUT IS TONIGHT! 🚓
Come on out and join the Rusk County ESD and other departments for National Night Out! Bring the whole family to meet your local firefighters and first responders, check out the Technical Operations Module and get an up-close look at the gear we use to keep Rusk County safe every day.

We love getting to connect with our community, answer your questions, and spend time with the folks we are proud to serve.

📍 Where: Fair Park / Downtown Henderson
⏰ When: Tonight, starting at 6!

Come grab some safety tips, let the kids see the trucks, and say hello to your local crew. See y'all there!

10/03/2026

Ok ladies and gents, so here’s the deal.

> 🌧️ Rain in Rusk County: Day 3.
> 🌲 Yard: officially a marshland.
> 🔥 Burn Ban: Still 100% active.
> Sounds crazy, but after the endless streak of grass fire calls our firefighters have had to haul to lately, nobody’s arguing. Let’s keep the matches put away, let the dirt actually soak it in, and give our first responders a well-deserved breather!
>

09/30/2026

Please avoid this area and use an alternate route if you can.

7:50 AM - A major crash has been confirmed at the US 84 / US 259 intersection in Mount Enterprise. The Texas DPS crash team is responding as well as multiple RCESD1 departments. Expect significant traffic delays and consider alternate travel routes.

09/19/2026

Update @1700 we are 75% contained and it’s 30 acres. Units are being released. TFS, TIFMAS and Mount Enterprise will be out here while TFS mops up.

Today at approximately 1300, Garrison VFD was dispatched to a 15 acre grass fire on highway 84. Further investigation found the fire is actually closer to the 3181 and 3182D area. Multiple departments are on scene including us with the Command Module, Rusk County ESD, Eastside VFD, Laneville VFD, Mount Enterprise VFD, TFS, TIFMAS and the East Texas Medical Task Force assigned to TIFMAS. TFS also has aircraft incoming to assist in firefighting efforts. If you live down this way please be cautious and if you have no reason to be down here please avoid this area to allow crews to work.

09/19/2026

8:00 PM Update: Fire measures out at 26 acres and is 100% contained. Crews will monitor for flareups overnight through the weekend.
Departments who responded:
Crims Chapel Volunteer Fire Department
New London VFD
Church Hill VFD
Henderson Fire Department
Kilgore Fire Department
Rusk County Rescue Unit
Randy Gaut, Rusk County Pct. 1 Commissioner
Texas A&M Forest Service
Texas Parks and Wildlife Game Wardens assisted with a short-term road closure.

5:30 PM - Multiple Rusk County ESD 1 departments with support from Texas A&M Forest Service and TIFMAS crews and a Kilgore Fire/Rescue drone are working a roughly 20-25 acre fire off FM 850 and County Road 238. The fire is approximately 50% contained as of 5:00 PM. Fire reported at 3 PM.

09/12/2026

As yesterday was a day, or what should’ve been, a day of mourning, today was the memorial. 25 years ago we were attacked. Brave men and women rushed into the thick of it with fear they suppressed because they knew their people needed help. 25 years later we honor and cherish their memory and the country we were on 09/12. Thank you Rusk County for honoring their memories today at our local 9/11 remembrance walk.

25 years of remembrance and honor of the 9/11 victims, police officers, firefighters, EMS crews and the civilians who rushed to help.

09/07/2026

🚒 TATUM VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT RAFFLE! 🚒

We’re selling raffle tickets to help raise money for much-needed equipment and everyday necessities for our volunteer fire department! Every ticket purchased helps us better serve and protect our community. ❤️🚒

🎟️ Tickets are $5 each OR 5 for $20!

🥇 1st Prize: Diamondback AR-15 5.56/.223 with Copperhead 3-9x40 scope
🥈 2nd Prize: Turtle Box Ranger
🥉 3rd Prize: Turtle Box Ranger

📅 Drawing will be held October 31, 2026!
Winner of 1st prize must be able to pass a background check.

📲 Want to purchase tickets through Facebook?
Simply comment below with how many tickets you’d like! Someone from the department will reach out to get your information, fill out your tickets for you, and provide the Venmo information for payment. We’ll make sure your tickets are entered into the drawing!

Please SHARE this post to help us spread the word and support our local volunteer fire department! ❤️🔥

⚠️ PLEASE NOTE: The tickets were printed before the prize details were finalized. The ticket lists “2 Turtle Box Rangers” as the 2nd prize, but they will now be awarded separately: ONE Turtle Box Ranger for 2nd prize and ONE Turtle Box Ranger for 3rd prize.

08/29/2026

Incase anyone wants a good friday read, here you go.

This weekend is about to be a bad start in terms of weather and wildfire potential in our area. Rusk County is currently under a BURN BAN, meaning no outdoor burning. Please do not do anything that could risk starting a wildfire. Other than our couple of big ones we’ve been lucky but our luck won’t always hold.

Over the past week, 156 wildfires have burned 94,067 acres statewide. Texas A&M Forest Service and all assigned resources have responded to 89 of those wildfires for 93,615 acres.

Rain chances are ending today as a weak cold front moves out of Texas. This weekend, drier conditions return, with breezy winds of 15-20 mph expected across portions of the High Plains on Saturday.

🔥 Initial attack potential will remain moderate in East Texas due to ongoing dryness and dry surface fuels. However, the lack of a significant fire weather trigger should help keep resistance to control low to moderate.

Looking ahead, above-normal temperatures and dry weather are expected to increase wildfire activity across the state next week. Fuels are expected to dry quickly, and elevated to significant fire potential could develop as early as Sunday and persist through next week, especially across the Rolling Plains, Cross Timbers, and Eastern Hill Country.

Stay aware of local conditions and use caution with activities that could spark a wildfire.

08/27/2026

At approximately 14:00 this afternoon, the unit was dispatched as mutual aid to County Road 3206 to assist on a grass fire along with Carlisle Volunteer Fire Dept, Cushing VFD, Laneville Fire Department, Mount Enterprise VFD, New Salem VFD and Reklaw VFD.

From what we understand is that this was started from a burn pile but units on scene were able to fairly quickly get it under control. Just a reminder, just because we got maybe the slightest hint of rain, it doesn’t mean we can burn. Rusk County is still under a burn ban and that little tiny bit of rain did nothing but make it worse. Please don’t burn, especially now. It’s hot and it’s dangerous.

Also say Hi to Kenny, one of our firefighters who responded to this call.

08/25/2026

Please don’t burn. We didn’t get near what we needed in rain.

We are tired, folks. It has already been a long weekend, and it’s not over yet.

We are once again urging everyone to avoid ALL outdoor burning and use extreme caution today. Relative humidity is expected to fall back into the mid-20% range, and combined with increasing winds, conditions could support rapid and extreme wildfire behavior.

The sporadic rain we received last night was little more than a tease and had virtually no effect on our overall fire conditions. Vegetation remains extremely dry and ready to burn.

Several departments across the area have already started their day responding to fires, and we anticipate another very busy day for firefighters throughout the region.