TEMPLE, Texas — The City of Temple is responding to the public after announcing that crews from Fire Station 2 had to be relocated due to black mold in the building.

The City announced on July 9 that the crews were being relocated to Station 1 due to a “maintenance issue,” which was later confirmed to be black mold.

During a City Council workshop meeting, Temple Director of General Services Belinda Mattke said the city received complaints and comments from the community claiming the issue had been going on for years and that firefighters have been exposed to the mold for nearly four years, with some even reporting health issues.

Mattke confirmed that a “mold issue” does exist at Fire Station 2, and was first brought to the City’s attention in November 2022. Mattke stated the mold was not black mold, and said staff “reacted to it.”

Black mold was originally believed to be just in the sleeping quarters, but was later found to have spread to all living quarters, Mattke said.

According to Mattke, the City has taken “several steps” to remediate the mold since 2022, including contracting a company to inspect the building, but said the source of the black mold has not been identified at this time.

Temple officials sent 6 News the following statement with a timeline of when black mold was discovered:

“In 2022, common mold was first identified at Fire Station 2. Since then, the City of Temple has worked closely with environmental professionals to conduct regular assessments and implement remediation efforts based on their recommendations. On July 1 testing was conducted and on July 3, Stachybotrys mold was confirmed. When the city was notified on July 3, fire personnel were immediately relocated out of the building. Our focus is now on implementing a full and permanent solution, and we are working as quickly as possible to make that happen. The design phase of the planned remodel of Fire Station 2 began back in March of 2025. We want to be clear, the health and safety of our firefighters is a top priority. Any indication of environmental hazards has been and will continue to be immediately evaluated and addressed by professionals. While we understand and acknowledge that the recurrence of mold is concerning, it has never been ignored.”

Mattke and Temple Fire Chief Mitch Randles said they have since identified concerns in how the building was constructed in 1996.

The City is working to purchase a mobile home for the Station 2 crew so that they can remain in their coverage area, Mattke said. She stated the City also has budgeting and is working on plans to eradicate the mold, and Randles explained further plans to upgrade and reorganize the building to avoid similar issues in the future.

At the meeting, Mayor Pro Tem Jessica Walker said she recently toured the station with firefighters and said she could smell the mildew in the building. Walker said the firefighters feel “very forgotten” and said she hopes the City can expedite the process to fix the issue.

Temple Mayor Tim Davis addressed those in attendance as well.

“As always, I appreciate you guys, you know, in a fine situation, jumping on it, you know, as soon as you could,” Davis said. “I’m sorry that we’ve had these ongoing issues, and to Jessica’s point, you know, maybe some firefighters don’t feel like they’re being taken care of, but you know, that’s always relevant, right? So it’s, it’s easy to, it’s for keyboard warriors to get out there and throw a bunch of stuff out, so we take that into consideration too, but this was something that I didn’t know was ongoing. Or that we, the City, has been fighting with since 2022. So it’s a little disappointing it took this long to find out, but I appreciate, like I said, you guys jumping on it and and taking care.”

Meanwhile, the Temple Professional Firefighters Association posted the following statement on social media in response to the statements from City officials:

“At today’s Council Workshop, Mayor Tim Davis had an important opportunity to address growing community concerns about serious mold issues in Fire Station 2—issues that directly affect the health and safety of our firefighters and, by extension, their families.

Unfortunately, instead of fully acknowledging the seriousness of the issue, the mayor referred to these concerns as merely “relevant.” That choice of words suggests that while the issue might matter to our firefighters and their families, it may not be worthy of the attention or comments made online. That framing downplays the very real health and safety risks being raised by those closest to the issue.

Adding to this, Mayor Davis labeled those voicing concern on social media as “keyboard warriors,” a dismissive term that suggests community voices are not valid or worthy of meaningful consideration. That’s disappointing—especially when the very people raising alarms are those who risk their lives and health daily to protect this city.

We want to be clear: we have met Mayor Davis and believe him to be a fundamentally good man. We don’t believe these comments truly reflect his character or values. We hope he’ll take this opportunity to reconsider his tone, clarify his position, and lead with the empathy and urgency this situation demands.

Our firefighters deserve nothing less.

We also want to acknowledge that our Fire Chief was present during this exchange. He, too, had an opportunity to speak up—to challenge the Mayor’s dismissal and validate the very real concerns of his department. Instead, he remained silent.

Silence, in moments like these, can be just as damaging as the words spoken.

Now is the time for leadership that listens, speaks clearly, and acts decisively. Our firefighters—and our community—deserve to know that their health, voices, and safety matter.”

6 News has contacted the Temple Mayor’s Office and a spokesperson for the City for comment, but has not heard back at this time.