Southwest Inn fire

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The Southwest Inn Fire was the fire that claimed the biggest casualty loss for the Houston Fire Department since its inception with four firefighters killed and 13 others were injured while fighting a 5-alarm fire at Southwest Inn located in Southwest Houston.[1]

Southwest Inn

The Southwest Inn was located in the Greater Sharpstown district of Southwest Houston,[2][3] along a portion of U.S. Route 59 named the "Southwest Freeway".[4] The hotel was previously called the Roadrunner Inn. It was owned by Criterium Systems, Incorporated, a company in California.[5] The Bhojan Indian restaurant was attached to the hotel.[6] The restaurant described itself as a Gujarati-style thali vegetarian restaurant.[7] The hotel could hold up to 100 guests.[6] Some people used the hotel rooms as rental houses and stayed there for months at a time.[8]

Since 2009, according to fire inspection records, the hotel received citations for issues in the overall fire alarm system, smoke detectors that were not working in several rooms, issues with fire suppression systems, expired permits, and obstructed exits. In 2011 HFD's database stated that the hotel was "in compliance" with regulations. In 2012 additional citations appeared on the HFD database.[5] City of Houston inspectors also had cited the restaurant for violations. The restaurant's most recent citation was in March 2013, for failure to clean grease traps.[6] In May 8, 2013, the final inspection of the hotel property had the result of "no action required".[5]

Fire

The fire began in the Bhojan Indian Restaurant.[4] It was reported at 12:09 PM during the restaurant's lunch service. At the time of the fire, 45 guests were registered at the hotel. The front desk clerk and another hotel employee began knocking on doors and windows in the hotel, notifying customers that a fire was occurring.[6] Twenty HFD vehicles were at the scene with lights flashing. They included fire trucks and ambulances.[6] According to HFD, the four fatalities occurred twelve minutes after the arrival of the first engine, when a wall collapsed.[5]

The hotel's roof had collapsed in the course of the fire.[9] The firefighters believed that people were trapped in the building, so they went inside to search for people needing rescue.[1] Two of the deceased were from Station 51 and two were from Station 68.[10] The fire also caused injuries to 14 additional firefighters. One had remained in a coma, and the other required amputation of his leg.[9]

Aftermath

The four bodies were taken to the Harris County Institute of Forensic Science.[6] The fire was under investigation by the HFD, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).[11] A total of 50 investigators from city, state, and federal agencies are investigating.[5]

The long term patrons at the Southwest Inn were displaced by the fire. The area Plainfield Inn donated rentals of twenty rooms for short-term recovery stays for displaced residents of the Southwest Inn.[8]

The memorial services for the deceased were scheduled to be held at Reliant Stadium on Wednesday June 5, 2013.[12]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Pinkerton, James; Lezon, Dale (1 June 2013). "Massive blaze in SW Houston kills 4 firefighters". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2013-06-01.  "It was the department's worst loss of life ever."
  2. ↑ "Contact." (Archive) Southwest Inn. Retrieved on June 6, 2013.
  3. ↑ "Map Major Roads." (Archive) Greater Sharpstown Management District. Retrieved on August 15, 2009.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Deadly Houston fire investigated." New York Times News Service at the Toledo Blade. June 1, 2013. Retrieved on June 6, 2013.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Arnold, Robert. "Local 2 Investigates: Southwest Inn's troubled past." (Archive) Retrieved on June 6, 2013.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 Pinkerton, James, Dale Lezon, and Mike Tolson. "Massive blaze in SW Houston kills 4 firefighters." Houston Chronicle. May 31, 2013. Retrieved on June 6, 2013.
  7. ↑ "Home." (Archive) Bhojan Vegetarian Restaurant. Retrieved on June 6, 2013.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Southwest Inn patrons displaced after deadly." [sic] (Archive) KTRK-TV. Friday May 31, 2013. Retrieved on June 6, 2013.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "U.S. investigates deadly Houston hotel fire." (Archive) TVC News, TV Continental. June 2, 2013. Retrieved on June 11, 2013.
  10. ↑ "Deadly Fire Guts Bhojan Restaurant, Southwest Inn Motel, Kills Four." (Archive) Indo American News. Retrieved on June 6, 2013.
  11. ↑ Horansky, Andrew. "HFD, ATF continue to investigate scene of deadly Southwest Inn fire." KHOU-TV. June 1, 2013. Retrieved on June 6, 2013.
  12. ↑ "Memorial plans underway for fallen HFD firefighters." (Archive) KTRK-TV. Monday June 3, 2013. Retrieved on June 11, 2013.

Further reading

External links

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