It was the single biggest loss of life in the history of the Houston Fire Department.
Five years ago, the Southwest Inn fire ultimately claimed the lives of five firefighters. The four firefighters who died on the scene were Robert Bebee, Robert Garner, Mathew Renaud, and Anne Sullivan. In March 2017, Captain Bill Dowling, who lost both of his legs in the fire, died of complications from the injuries sustained in the line of duty. The department has made a lot of changes since the fire.
The day it happened, radio communication was nearly impossible because too many radios were being used at the same time.