Coryell County Extends Disaster Declaration After Historic Downtown Gatesville Fire

A fire that erupted overnight on Monday, March 16 tore through a block of historic buildings in downtown Gatesville, prompting Coryell County Judge Roger A. Miller to sign an emergency disaster declaration Tuesday — and eight days later, the Coryell County Commissioners Court voted to extend that declaration, signaling the recovery is far from over.

The court filed Order No. CC26-03 on March 24, extending the local disaster declaration first issued by Judge Miller on March 17 under the Texas Disaster Act of 1975. The order states that "a state of emergency and disaster continues to exist within Coryell County and the City of Gatesville due to structure fires within the Historic District of Gatesville." It takes effect immediately and expires at the end of 35 days unless the Commissioners Court acts to extend it again.

Authorities said four historic buildings were damaged in the fire, which investigators believe originated around 7 p.m. in a bail bonds business on the west side of the square before spreading to neighboring structures, including the Gatesville Messenger newspaper office and Leaird's Furniture. According to an update from the Texas Department of Insurance State Fire Marshal's Office, the fire began in the Gatesville Messenger building, despite initial reports that the first visible smoke came from a nearby bail bonds business on the southwest corner of the courthouse square. Officials said the cause of the fire remains under investigation, but investigators have determined it was not intentionally set.

At least three firefighters were taken to the hospital with minor injuries, including smoke inhalation. Volunteer crews from across Coryell County responded under mutual aid, including teams from Copperas Cove, while Texas Department of Public Safety troopers, the Coryell County Sheriff's Office and Gatesville ISD police officers also responded to help manage traffic as the scene unfolded overnight.

The March 24 order specifically cites the ongoing toll on government operations, finding that "the fire in the Historic District of Gatesville, Texas continues to impose a negative impact on County facilities and operations within the affected area of the Historic District" and that "current and ongoing responses and recovery operations pose an extreme challenge to the local resources of both the City and the County." The order also activates the county's Emergency Response plan, a step that opens state assistance, recovery crews and additional emergency operations for the city.

The damage comes just weeks after Gatesville's downtown historic district was added to the National Register of Historic Places, a designation that took nearly a year to secure. City Manager Brad Hunt described the timing as bittersweet: "It took almost a year to get that designation for the historic district."

The City of Gatesville has installed a perimeter fence around the affected area to keep the public a safe distance from unstable structures, while the insurance claims process and eventual demolition of damaged buildings are expected to take time. The city is directing property owners to available resources from the Texas Department of Emergency Management and will continue to support them as they recover.

Two walls on the damaged structures remain at risk of collapse, including one that faces directly onto Highway 84, which forced the closure of a major road through downtown Gatesville in the immediate aftermath. The 35-day window established by Order No. CC26-03 runs to late April, giving the county and city a defined period to coordinate recovery operations before commissioners must revisit the declaration.