HOUSTON – A structure collapse in a burning building killed four Houston firefighters, the deadliest fire in the history of the country’s third-largest fire department, officials confirmed in a statement Saturday.

The four firefighters — Capt. Matthew Renaud, Engineer Operator Robert Bebee, Firefighter Robert Garner and Probationary Firefighter Anne Sullivan — were responding to a five-alarm blaze reported around noon Friday at an Indian restaurant in southwest Houston that soon spread to a neighboring hotel. More than 200 firefighters eventually arrived to fight the blaze, officials said.

Houston Fire Chief Terry Garrison and Mayor Annise Parker said during a Friday briefing that at some point, a wall inside the burning buildings collapsed on the firefighters who died. Saturday’s statement reiterated that the deaths stemmed from a “collapse,” and a Fire Department spokesman said it was best described as a structure collapse.

Three firefighters died at the scene, while a fourth was taken to a nearby hospital and later died, officials said.

As of Saturday, 14 additional firefighters had been hospitalized in connection with the fire, according to a Fire Department statement. One was in critical condition and another was undergoing surgery Saturday.

 


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