Four firefighters were killed in a Texas blaze that the Houston Fire Department calls the most deadly in it's 118-year history.
Anne Sullivan was a gifted athlete filled with energy who came out of
high school with a focus on being a firefighter. But about a month
after graduating from the Houston Fire Department Academy, the
24-year-old was among four firefighters who died while searching for
people they thought might be trapped in a blazing Houston motel and
restaurant.
"She had a lot of energy and had her heart set at that," her father, Jack Sullivan, told The Associated Press on Saturday.
Also
killed in the collapse during the Friday afternoon fire at the
Southwest Inn were: Capt. Matthew Renaud, 35, who has been with
department for 11½ years; Engineer Operator Robert Bebee, 41, who joined
the department almost 12 years ago; and Firefighter Robert Garner, 29,
who joined the department 2½ years ago.
The Houston Fire
Department said 14 firefighters were taken to the hospital Friday. One
remained in critical condition on Saturday and another was undergoing
surgery. The rest were in stable condition and several have been
released from the hospital.
The fire broke out just after noon at a
restaurant connected to the Southwest Inn along a busy freeway and
quickly spread to the section of the building housing the motel. About
150 firefighters responded and were able to get it under control within
about two hours.
The fire was the deadliest in the 118-year history of the department.
Fire
officials said they took a high risk in aggressively fighting the fire
because they believed people were inside the motel. When a portion of
the building collapsed, the firefighters were trapped.
Anne
Sullivan, a soccer player and cross country runner in high school,
joined the Wharton County Junior College Fire Academy after graduation.
She graduated from the Houston Fire Department Academy in April.
Jack
Sullivan said he was on his way home from work Friday when he heard
about the fire and realized it was in his daughter's area.
"I'm thinking she could be involved, but maybe not," he said.
About
10 minutes later he heard that four firefighters had died in the blaze
and began crying in his car. As he approached his house, he saw an
emergency vehicle parked outside and knew his daughter was among those
who had died.
"I knew right that instant," Sullivan said.
He
said that while he'd tried to sway his daughter into a less dangerous
line of work — such as an EMT — he knew that her heart was set on being a
firefighter. At 5-foot-2, she had the "grit and determination" to
realize her dream, he said.
"There was no stopping her," Sullivan said.
The
father of Garner, Jerry Veuleman, told the Houston Chronicle
(http://bit.ly/1aMsrEe ) that Garner was proud of his work and had set
his sights on becoming a firefighter after leaving the military.
"'Use
your training. Don't be a hero. God will look after you,'" Veuleman
recalled telling him. "God chose it was time to take Robert and the
other firefighters. We are sorry, but we are also blessed."
The
Houston Fire Department Arson Division is taking the lead in the
investigation of the fire, with assistance from the State Fire Marshal's
Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the
Houston Police Department.
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