Four Firefighters Killed, 14 Firefighters Injured In Fire

[Family Ties Forever!]

So sad.

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Memorial Service Underway For Fallen Firefighters
The fallen Houston firefighters are being honored at Reliant Stadium
Posted: Jun 5, 2013 6:13:AM CDT Updated: Jun 5, 2013 7:32 PM CDT

Houston - First responders from around the country are honoring the fallen Houston firefighters at Reliant Stadium this morning. It's one of the largest memorial processions the City of Houston has ever seen.
Thousands of firefighters attended the memorial service for fallen Houston firefighters Matthew Renaud, Robert Bebee, Robert Garner and Anne Sullivan. All four died Friday after a five-alarm hotel fire at the Southwest Inn.

A procession of thousands of first responders made their way into Reliant Stadium, including some of the 14 injured in the blaze. Then the families of the four fallen firefighters were introduced and escorted to their seats. After Kelley Peters sang the National Anthem, Cardinal Daniel DiNardo said the opening prayer. Both Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Houston Mayor Annise Parker spoke at the service. "We will never forget their sacrifice," said Governor Perry. These are hard days, this is a painful day, but it's also a necessary day -- it's our duty to honor these four people."

"May 31, 2013 stands as the single worst loss of life in our history," Mayor Parker said. "I stand here today not as an individual, but as mayor of a great and grieving city." "Our hearts are broken but our spirits are strong," Houston Fire Chief Terry Garrison said. "There is little we can do to help heal the hurt we feel. However we can stay strong in spirit, celebrate their lives and honor their service. We can continue to do our jobs to the best of our ability."

Chief Garrison then gave American flags to the families of the deceased firefighters. Of the thousands of firefighters and apparatuses in Houston to pay their respects, crews came from San Antonio, Dallas and parts of Canada. Officials said nearly 15,000 people attended Wednesday's memorial service.

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4 firefighters killed in Houston blaze
More than 150 firefighters responded to the blaze
Author: By Greg Botelho CNN
Posted: May 31, 2013 3:13 PM CDT Updated: Jun 1, 2013 5:56 AM CDT

(CNN) - Four Houston firefighters died after a hotel wall collapsed while they were battling a major blaze Friday, the mayor of the Texas city said. "Today is going to go down ... as the worst day in the history of the Houston Fire Department," said Mayor Annise Parker. Thirteen other firefighters are being treated at local hospitals, said fire Capt. Ruy Lozano. One of them is in critical condition with burns in an intensive care unit.

Lozano said the five-alarm fire started at a restaurant next to the Southwest Inn, in the southwest part of the city near Interstate 69. More than 150 firefighters responded to the blaze, Lozano said. Some of them then went in "because we thought we had some civilians in the structure," Garrison said.
"Unfortunately, the building had much more fire in it than we originally thought," he added. "The structure collapsed ... and our members who were trying to save lives were trapped."

Fellow firefighters quickly sprang into action, some digging through the rubble to get to their colleagues. Garrison said the death toll could have been much higher if not for their bravery and quick action. "(There were) dozens and dozens of acts of courage that took place in the seconds when that wall came in," he said.

The firefighters killed are Matthew Renaud, 35, who joined the fire department in October 2001; 41-year-old Robert Bebee, who started in August 2001; 29-year-old Robert Garner, part of the department since October 2010; and Anne Sullivan, a 24-year-old who graduated from the Houston Fire Department Academy in April.

Authorities haven't given a cause of the fire. State and federal officials will begin their investigation Saturday. Garrison said his firefighters are "taking care of each other, embracing each other," and taking solace in the support they'll get from the community. Beyond getting over the loss emotionally, the fire chief promised that his department -- the third largest in the country -- would learn from what happened. "We will improve, we will get better, we will learn from this," he said, "and we will keep on keeping on."

Copyright 2013 by CNN NewSource. All rights reserved.

[catlover79]

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[Family Ties Forever!]

First post edited to add more details.

[Family Ties Forever!]

I ust re-read this. A five-alarm fire sounds huge. That must have been awful to go in trying to save lives only to have a wall collapse on you and be trapped.

[Regulus]

To those who died in the line of duty .