Veteran Houston Firefighter Dies After Wall Collapse

HOUSTON, TX – A Houston firefighter died, and another was injured while battling a three-alarm warehouse fire in Houston’s Greater East End on Wednesday night, officials said.

Marcelo Garcia, 42, a 10-year veteran assigned to Station 23, was identified as the firefighter who died after a wall collapsed during the blaze. A second firefighter, who was also injured, was hospitalized and is expected to recover.

A three-alarm fire call will bring triple the amount of firefighters, trucks, and equipment to the scene of the fire. Any fire alarm dispatch that goes past 2 is considered a very big fire that could take considerable time to completely extinguish. 

The fire started on Supply Row near Polk Street, west of Highway 90, with crews arriving just before 11 p.m. A second alarm was issued around 11 p.m., followed shortly by a mayday call after the wall collapsed, prompting a third alarm.

Garcia and the injured firefighter were transported to Memorial Hermann in the Texas Medical Center.

Houston Fire Department Chief Thomas Muñoz stated that Critical Incident Stress Management teams are assisting firefighters involved, and support is being extended to their families.

Houston Mayor John Whitmire expressed condolences, calling it “the hardest part of my role as mayor of this great city.” He added, “On behalf of the citizens of Houston, I offer my deepest condolences to the Garcia family.”