New fire station to support Abilene’s expanding south side

ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – Driving through south Abilene, it is common to see ‘for sale’ signs and construction as more people move there and developments are built. Gene Lantrip, CEO and President of Lantrip Custom Homes, said the homes in the southern region are the most popular.

“That is really the hot part of Abilene. We build all over, and then we build in all directions. But we found that our houses in the southern part go a whole lot faster than they do up in the northern part,” Lantrip said. “Realtors will come. ‘What do you have in Wylie? What do you have in Jim Ned?’ And we’ll tell them about the houses under construction in those two school districts.”

Now the growing community has the services to match it, with a new fire station near completion. Abilene Fire Station Nine was approved by a bond in 2022. Abilene Fire Chief Cande Flores said the department saw a significant need for a unit in the community.

“We’ve waited a long time to try to see if we needed resources in this area, and we’ve seen a need for it over the last five to ten years. So, being able to put something here that’s going to serve this part of our community, it’s exciting for us,” Flores said.

Flores stated that the new station will be two stories tall and will include advanced technology, a training area, and improved response times.

“We’re tracking our response times to check how many calls we’re making in our incidents every year have gone up, just slightly. It’s something we’ve got to be aware of. This will serve our needs today; we’re always looking to the future,” Flores stated.

The construction is scheduled to be completed by November 2025 and will be fully staffed and operational by February 2026.