Nueces Canyon Volunteer Fire Department rescued a driver near Camp Wood as floodwaters quickly rose into the truck.
CAMP WOOD, Texas — In a remote stretch of Real County, the Nueces Canyon Volunteer Fire Department was the only team on the ground as floodwaters surged overnight.
Overnight storms transformed the normally serene Nueces River into a raging, dangerous force that overran low crossings and trapped dozens of people on the wrong side of the swollen waterway.
By morning, the river had climbed at least 12 feet, completely washing over a bridge near Camp Wood and leaving around 100 people stranded. While those families were reported safe, one driver had a much closer call.
According to Nueces Canyon Volunteer Fire Chief Dan Cox, the man’s truck was swept off the road and wedged between a fence and a ditch. Water had already risen to his steering wheel, leaving him trapped inside.
Cox and his crew, made up of a handful of active volunteer firefighters jumped into action.
With no choice but to act quickly, firefighters climbed onto the hood of the truck to pull the driver to safety.
“My crew, the way we had to get him—my guys could have slipped off,” Cox said. “We had to climb on the hood, the other was holding him. We could have been washed off. The river could have flashed again. There’s so many variables. But we did all we could to get him out.”
Chief Cox praised his crew’s bravery but underscored the real risks they face, especially given the department’s limited resources and reliance solely on donations.
“It’s a lot of work and it’s just time consuming,” said Cox. “We all have our own jobs. We’re all employed, and we take time off to do so. I have a bunch of, strong willed guys and women, they’ve got to be dedicated.”
The Nueces Canyon Volunteer Fire Department covers half of Real County and parts of Edwards, Uvalde, and Kinney Counties.
Their chief says calls like this can be especially dangerous—and they’re urging everyone to take flood warnings seriously, and he also explained what’s lurking beneath the fast moving water.
“You have debris floating down. The debris can hit you in the head, knock you out,” said Cox. “You got a whirlpool all the way down. It will suck you under—plus, snakes, trees. I mean, it’s just everything.”
As summer tourist season draws crowds to this part of the Hill Country, Cox has an urgent warning for both residents and visitors:
“Turn around. Don’t drown. If you see water across the road, please don’t cross. Don’t cross the barricades. And if you see the river coming down, don’t get in the river. Don’t tube. Don’t kayak. Don’t do anything,” Cox said.
For residents or visitors in the area, officials recommend downloading the Real County Sheriff’s Office app to receive evacuation notices, road closures, and other emergency alerts directly on their phones. You can find more info here.
If you’d like to support the brave men and women of the Nueces Canyon Volunteer Fire Department, which depends entirely on donations to keep operating, you can visit their website at nuecescanyonvfd.org.