Five Candidates Interviewed for Eagle Pass Fire Department Chief
By Jose G. Landa, Copyright 2026 Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc.
The search for the next leader of the Eagle Pass Fire Department has entered its final stages after five candidates seeking the fire chief position completed their interviews.
The City of Eagle Pass administration is now reviewing information from the interview process as it prepares to decide who will lead the department. An official selection has not yet been announced, but a decision is expected within the coming weeks.
Among those interviewed is Rodolfo Cardona, who served as assistant fire chief and was appointed interim fire chief following the retirement of longtime Fire Chief Manuel “Sonny” Mello III.
Other individuals interviewed for the position also include candidates from within the department, giving the city an opportunity to consider applicants already familiar with its personnel, operations and emergency-response responsibilities.
Mello retired after 34 years of service to the community. His final shift was August 28, closing a lengthy career during which he helped lead the department through fires, medical emergencies, drownings, hazardous incidents and periods of increased emergency activity along the Rio Grande.
The next fire chief will inherit responsibility for overseeing one of the city’s most important public-safety departments. The position includes supervision of firefighting and emergency medical operations, department personnel, training, equipment and coordination with other local, state and federal emergency-response agencies.
The selection also comes as the department continues responding to emergencies both within Eagle Pass and throughout portions of Maverick County.
City officials have not publicly identified all five candidates or provided a specific date for announcing the appointment.
For now, Cardona continues overseeing the department in his interim capacity while the Eagle Pass administration considers the candidates and prepares to name the city’s next fire chief.
