Couple injured in house fire

IOLA – A couple, Jim and Terri Kildare, were injured in a house fire in Iola Friday, Feb. 18, when a heater exploded inside their rental home.

Fire crews responded to the residence on Farm-to-Market Road 244 at approximately 6:15 p.m. Grimes County Sheriff Don Sowell said the female victim was transported to the hospital via ambulance, but the male victim refused treatment at the scene.

According to family members, the couple was playing cards at the time of the incident. Terri suffered a broken leg and remains in the hospital and Jim was later treated for burns he suffered while helping his wife out of the home.

The home was completely lost, and the congregation of Evergreen Baptist Church in Iola rallied to help the displaced couple. Church Pastor Jeff Morgan said in a Facebook post the couple is an “integral part of the Evergreen Church family and the Iola community.” Church members found the couple a place to stay and collected various donations for them.

Sowell stated the cause of the fire is still under investigation.