Iola VFD

08/31/2026

Sunday, August 30th

At approximately 11:00pm, an accident involving three vehicles was reported on Hwy30, approximately one mile East of FM244.

Upon arrival, crews found a pickup fully engulfed in flames and the driver removed from the vehicle with severe burns, a heavily damaged Dodge Polara and a heavily damaged Honda motorcycle.

Both the motorcycle rider and the driver of the pickup were rushed to the hospital with serious injuries. Unfortunately, the driver of the Dodge Polara was pronounced deceased at the scene.

As DPS Troopers and investigators processed the scene, Hwy30 was temporarily shut down. The highway has since reopened.

Please keep those involved in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.

Thank you to all agencies involved including the Texas DPS, Texas Department of Transportation, Grimes County Sheriff's Office, CHI St. Joseph Health EMS, The Grimes County First Responders and everyone on scene.

08/31/2026

UPDATE: HWY30 IS BACK OPEN

Good morning everyone.

Please be aware that Hwy 30 just East of FM244 is still shut down while DPS and crews still investigate and work the scene. Please use alternative routes if your are on your way out the door this morning.

08/31/2026

Please avoid the area.

08/21/2026

What do you do when you need a break from patrolling the area and upholding the law? You come out hang out with your fire department!

Grimes County Constable's Office Pct. 1 Constable Ellis can answer that one! Not all of us get to live out our dreams of being a firefighter, but luckily Constable Ellis got to finally live out his.

We're happy that he wanted to help out... even if we're pretty sure he's been looking for an excuse to play around with the trucks and equipment for some time now 😉

On a serious note, thanks for stopping by that day and giving us a hand. No matter what type of emergency, he's always there to keep an eye out and step in if need be. We're thankful to have you watching our backs 💙

08/19/2026

08/13/2026

Wednesday, August 12th

At approximately 5pm, multiple 911 calls came in for a large fire, possibly a camper, in the area of FM39 and CR107. Bedias Volunteer Fire Department along with North Zulch Volunteer Fire Dept. were dispatched along with the IVFD for assistance.

Upon the arrival of Engine 235, a camper was found fully engulfed along with the surrounding trees and vegetation. Engine 235 was able to knock down a large portion of the fire on the structure, however winds pushed the fire onto and over the tracks, causing the adjacent property to start burning.

As more crews arrived, the fire was able to be extinguished before spreading across the neighboring fence and further damaging property.

The cause of the fire is unknown at this time. The resident was not home at the time of the fire, and was located safe a short time after. One Iola firefighter was treated and released on scene for heat exposure. No other injuries reported.

A huge thank you to the North Zulch Volunteer Fire Department, the Bedias Volunteer Fire Department, CHI St. Joseph Health EMS, Constable James Ellis and BNSF for the help! We appreciate you.

08/07/2026

Texas A&M Forest Service has raised the Wildland Fire Preparedness Level to Level 3.

Recent and forecast wildfire activity, ongoing resource commitments, and the potential for lightning ignitions across the High Plains today and tomorrow are contributing to elevated fire risk. Strong outflow winds associated with thunderstorms may also result in periods of increased fire behavior and resistance to control on existing wildfires.

We continue to monitor the situation and stand ready to respond to any requests for assistance.

For more about Preparedness Levels, visit https://bit.ly/3BtPfhw

07/14/2026

⚠️Please be aware when driving!

We've heard some reports of high water, impassable roadways and even high water rescues in and around Grimes County.

Please be on alert if you're on the roads today and don't hesitate to report flooded roadways so that the proper steps can be taken to divert traffic.

Turn around, don't drown. It's not worth your safety or your life. Not only is your life at risk, but the lives of the responders who are sent to rescue you. Please stay safe!

05/18/2026

Monday, May 18th

At 7:45am, the Iola VFD responded to a mutual aid with Bedias Volunteer Fire Department, SHIRO V.F.D. and Crabbs Prairie VFD for a barn fire.

The fire was extinguished shortly after arrival. No injuries were reported. The fire is believed to be caused by an electrical fault.

05/09/2026

Good afternoon everyone!

From all of us here at the Iola Volunteer Fire Department, from our hearts we thank you. We thank you for coming out and supporting us this past weekend during our fundraiser.

The support, donations, love and appreciation we received this past weekend from all of you was absolutely amazing. Whether you're a member of our community, a resident of the county, a citizen of Iola and everyone abroad, we thank you for continuing to support us and what we do.

Without you, we wouldn't be able to operate in the capacity that we do today. Our members have one goal, and that is to protect and serve you. YOU are the reason that we are here.

We also would like to thank our wives (and kiddos) of the Department. Without them, their support and encouragement, their ideas and most importantly their help, this would've been much more difficult.

A big thank you to our sponsors who helped us with the costs of bringing all of this together.

Our sponsors,

Stanley's Feed
Dominoes
MidSouth Fiber
MidSouth Electric
Bedias Bank
Tenaska
SIC
Heath Dentistry
Twin Oaks Landfill
Lone Star Roofing
Costco
Kona Ice
Invenergy Solar

A special thank you to the people and businesses who donated items so we could have our auctions! You rock!

And let's not forget about the awesome gentlemen who cooked the food non stop until then end!

Mission Inflatables LLC did an amazing job helping set up and provide the festivities, thank you guys. The co****le tournament was a huge success, we appreciate you guys as well!

Lastly, a huge round of applause for Brice and The Lonesome Strings as well as Zac Jones and The 45's for their live performances!

❤️