Houston 5-alarm Motel Fire

[Schemer]

 

 

 

 

A five-alarm fire broke out shortly after noon Friday, blowing smoke across the Southwest Freeway near Hillcroft and slowing traffic in both directions.

 

The flames spread quickly through the Southwest Inn motel in the 6800 block of the Southwest Freeway.

 

One firefigthter was unaccounted for, HFD Assistant Chief Rick Flanagan said about an hour after the fire broke out.

 

At least three firefighters were rushed by ambulances to area hospitals. Medics were performing CPR on one of them as he was put in an ambulance. It's not clear if he was the firefighter who was missing.

There's no word on whether motel guests and employees have been accounted for.

 

Dozens of Houston firefighters are on the scene trying to bring the blaze under control.

 

Inbound lanes of the feeder road are closed down near Bellaire. The smoke is also slowing drivers in the main lanes of the Southwest Freeway.

 

 

 

 

Four firefighters died in a five-alarm blaze that broke out at a restaurant Friday afternoon along U.S. 59 in southwest Houston, according to the mayor's office.

 

"I can confirm four firefighters have passed away, and we cannot release their names at this juncture," said HFD Chief Terry Garrison, who was meeting with families of the fallen.

 

Five firefighters were also reported injured, two critically, while fighting the blaze.

 

Initial reports say several firefighters suffered heat exhaustion and one firefighter injured his leg. Some were reported missing but have since been located.

 

The fire broke out at Bhojan Restaurant at 6855 Southwest Freeway at about 12:09 p.m. and engulfed the neighboring Southwest Inn along the Southwest Freeway near Hornwood, according to the Houston Fire Department. The flames also burned a sports bar and disco.

 

Jeff Caynon, president of the Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association, said he understood from field reports that the firefighters had been injured in a roof collapse.

 

"The roof collapsed. I don't know if that was folks outside next to the structure or inside when it collapsed, but the collapse is going to be the cause," Caynon said.

 

Martha Lopez, the front desk clerk at the Southwest Inn said a restaurant employee ran into the hotel saying a fire had started in the restaurant. The two began knocking on doors and windows telling guests to get out of the hotel.

 

Lopez said the hotel can accommodate 100 guests and had 45 registered at the time of the fire.

 

One of the guests, Sammy Sewell, 29, had been staying at the hotel for last six months. He said he walked out of his room and heard yelling.

 

He turned a corner, saw three women screaming and running at him down a hallway and then heard three blasts.

 

"Next thing you know, it was 'boom!' It scared the crap out of me. I mean, it sounded like a cannon going off. That's how loud it was," Sewell said. "I could have sworn it picked this building up and put it back down."

 

It was unclear what sparked the blaze.

 

Caynon said being a firefighter "is a hazardous job from the time we respond to the time we make it on location, whether it's a medical call all the way up to and including fires. There are hazardous all along the way, and there are a lot of variables when a structure is on fire."

 

 

The Houston Fire Department is saddened and deeply regrets to list the following members who gave the ultimate sacrifice from a fire in Southwest Houston this afternoon:

 

Captain EMT Matthew Renaud (35) of Engine 68.  He began his career with the Houston Fire Department in October of 2001 and in addition to Fire Station 68, has served out of stations 51, 39, 83, 73, 37, 60 and 35.

 

Engineer Operator EMT Robert Bebee (41) of Station 51. He began his career with the Houston Fire Department in August of 2001 and in addition to Fire Station 51, has served out of Stations 37, 40, 10 and 48.

 

Firefighter EMT Robert Garner (29) of Station 68. He began his career with the Houston Fire Department in October of 2010 and has served out of Fire Station 68 since.

 

Probationary Firefighter Anne Sullivan (24) of Station 68. She graduated from Houston Fire Department Academy this past April and was assigned to Fire Station 68.

 

The Houston Fire Department has never seen four firefighters pass away from the same incident in the history of the department. In 1929, three firefighters passed away after their Engine was broadsided by a train.

 

Five firefighters were initially transported to the hospital for a range of injures from heat exhaustion to a critical injuries.

 

Our deepest thoughts and prayers are with not only those friends and family of those who gave the ultimate sacrifice today but also those who were injured and all members of our department.

 

 

Four firefighters searching for people they thought might be trapped in a blazing Houston motel and restaurant Friday were killed when the part of the structure collapsed and ensnared them, authorities said.

At least five other firefighters were hospitalized in the blaze that became the deadliest in the 118-year history of the Houston Fire Department.

 

Flames were shooting from the roof of the Southwest Inn, along one of Houston's most heavily traveled freeways, U.S. Highway 59, and black smoke was blanketing the area as firefighters tried to extinguish the fire.

 

Three firefighters were killed at the scene, while the fourth died at a hospital, according to the mayor's office and a medical examiner. Five other people were injured and were hospitalized for treatment of chest pains or leg injuries.

 

"We took the highest amount of risk possible because we thought we had civilians in the structure," Fire Chief Terry Garrison said. "The structure collapsed and our members who were trying to save lives were lost."

 

Garrison said everyone else has since been accounted for. A cause of the blaze hasn't yet been determined.

 

The loss of life is the single worst in the history of the department, which had counted 64 firefighters lost since the city began paying firefighters in 1895. Twice previously, two firefighters were killed in a single fire, in 1953 and most recently in 2000. Three firefighters died in 1929 when a train slammed broadside into their engine.

 

"Unfortunately, the building had much more fire in it than we originally thought," Garrison said. "We do know there was a collapse and it caused our firefighters to get trapped."

Edited June 1, 2013 by Limitless

[Polish_Trucker]

Hopefully everyone is ok... such a tragedy

[Schemer]

UPDATE: Six firefighters have been injured, two of the injured are in critical condition and all six have been taken to hospitals.

 

2nd UPDATE: Officials confirmed that at least four firefighters have been killed while battling the massive hotel fire. The search is continuing for others who haven't been accounted for

 

 

Edited May 31, 2013 by Limitless

[Wolf of Badenoch]

Horrible. R.I.P to those that have perished. Looks pretty nasty.

[Sgt. Foley]

Damn, that f*cking blows... R.I.P to the firefighters who lost their lives.

 

 

[Schemer]

I will keep the topic updated as I receive more updated information. They said they're still searching where the roof collapsed at for the rest of the unaccounted firefighters, but hopefully everyone else made it out safe.

 

Foley, loosing a brother always blows. We lost a chief a year back in my department (not in the line of duty) but it still hit us hard, especially myself. It's like loosing one of you're own family members and to

loose four of your brothers on the same day is just something that is hard to grasp. Multiple LODDs and injuries can do alot to a department. Thoughts and prayers to the firemen and their families.

 

 

Edit: "This is a procession of three ambulances and several fire trucks leaving the scene of the deadly hotel fire just minutes ago.

The procession paused to allow a fourth ambulance to join the convoy. These vehicles were carrying the remains of the firefighters killed in the motel fire."

 

Edited May 31, 2013 by Limitless

[Rizqan7]

R.I.P the firefighter is our real hero

[Sgt. Foley]

I'm so sorry to hear that Limitless.

[Schemer]

Emotional picture; civilians saluting as the four fallen firefighter's remains as they are transposed to the hospital/medical examiner.

 

[DarrinPA]

This is terrible, it's hard to hear stories like these. They simply wanted to help people and end up getting injured/killed in the proccess is such a sad situation. They are true heros, RIP.