Four firefighters are dead after a five-alarm blaze ripped through a motel complex along the Southwest Freeway on Friday, creating a scene of horrific smoky chaos and devastation. This is the deadliest day in the Houston Fire Department's recorded history, which dates back to 1889.
This many Houston firefighters have never been killed before in a single blaze.
KHOU Ch. 11 reports that the bodies of three firefighters were pulled from the rubble of the Southwest Inn near the intersection of Hillcroft. A fourth died at a nearby hospital, prompting Houston Fire Department assistant captain Rick Flanagan to tell reporters that Friday has been the worst day of his life. Flanagan noted that a building collapse trapped the firefighters.
Several firefighters were spotted gathering around a flag-draped casket placed at the center of the devastation.
"There is nothing we can do that will heal the hurt we feel today," Mayor Annise Parker said in a 5:15 p.m. press conference from Memorial Hermann hospital, choking back tears. The heroic victims have been identified as captain Matthew Renaud, 35 and EMT Robert Bebee, 41, of Station 51; EMT Robert Garner, 29, of Station 68 and 24-year-old Anne Sullivan, a recent graduate of the fire department academy.
In addition to the four casualties, six other firefighters were rushed by ambulance to area hospitals. At least one is reportedly in critical condition.
"There is nothing we can do that will heal the hurt we feel today."
Late May temperatures reached into nineties, creating an additional threat of dehydration as more than 100 firefighters struggled for three hours to bring the blaze under control. Strong winds helped to spread flames throughout the building attic space, causing the roof to collapse in several locations.
The fire started just after noon, filling the sky with a black smoke that could be seen across the city and cloaked the freeway. A CultureMap staffer on the Southwest Freeway when the fire first broke out says the smoke was so thick that at times you could barely see a few feet ahead of you on the road.
The incident is the deadliest in the recorded history of the Houston Fire Department.
