PROGRESO - The Progreso Volunteer Fire Department faced their first structure fire Wednesday. Their city manager said he is proud of their effort, but he admitted there is still room to improve.

Romer Amador was born and raised in the city of Progreso. He told CHANNEL 5 NEWS he's proud of his community. He's always wanted to play a role in protecting it.

He became a Progreso police officer at the age of 23. He volunteers as a member of the Progreso fire department in his time off. 

"It is the first structure fire that we had um, we did have enough crew there, we did respond quickly and we were able to control the fire," Amador said.

In total, seven cars and a garage port were lost in the fire. He explained he takes pride in the fact that he and his crew were able to save the home. Only a portion of the home was lost.

He told CHANNEL 5 NEWS arriving to his first structure fire was intense. His training kicked in.

"You can’t compare training to a real life scenario but everything is there, it all comes back to you. You rely on your training and you go in there and get it done," Amador said.

Progreso's city manager, Alfredo Espinosa, is one of the people responsible for creating the city’s first fire department. He said he's proud of the way his crews fought the fire but there are still things they can improve on.

"We did a meeting after we went through all the improvements we can do. But overall, I was very satisfied with all the effort that they put into it," Espinosa explained.

He said communication is the number one asset they need to improve. Weslaco's fire department also helped battle the blaze.

Weslaco Fire Chief Antonio Lopez said every fire is a learning experience.

"My thing would be that Progreso learn from what they saw yesterday, and we are going to continue to work with them and continue to give that direction as more of a big brother fire department to them," Lopez told CHANNEL 5 NEWS.

He said he has full faith that the Progreso volunteer department will continue to grow. He told us the department should be proud of their work.

 "It feels good, it's an honor. You know this career is very rewarding, and helping out your community, that's what we are here for,” Amador explained.

Lopez said he invites the Progreso Volunteer Fire Department to train with his department. He wants both departments to grow and become better at their craft.