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Two Houston Bravest Lost Battling Easter Morning House Fire
FirefighterNation.com News
Updated 4/13, 12:30p ET -- Two Houston, Texas firefighters -- a veteran captain with nearly 30 years experience and a probational firefighter with just a month in the field -- died early Easter morning battling a house fire.
During an aggressive interior attack of the one-story structure, command determined fire conditions were too intense and backed all crews out. During the post evacuation accountability check, the two firefighters were determined to be missing.
The victims have been identified as Captain James Harlow and Probationary Firefighter Damiem Hobbs.
Harlow, 50, had nearly 30 years on the job in Houston. He was the caption at Station 26 for the past five years.
Hobbs, 29, had just graduated from the Houston fire academy in March and was on his first assignment at Station 26 since March 7.
Source: Houston Fire Dept,
Mayday Called
A mayday was called, KHOU reported, but intense flames kept crews from going back in for search and rescue for some period of time. The exact timeline of the incident was not immediately available.
The Associated Press reported that the victim's bodies were found in the house between 1 a.m. and 1:30 a.m. Rescue workers attempted CPR but the men were pronounced dead at the scene.
The blaze was dispatched at 12:14 a.m. local time, according to the HFD's Active Incidents log. The first due companies were from Station 26, where an engine, ambulance, ladder company and District Chief responded from. Station 26 is about 1.2 miles from the scene of the blaze on Oak Vista.
KTRK reported that at 4:26am, Houston firefighters formed two lines outside of the home as the bodies of the fallen firefighters were removed from the scene by stretcher.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation as firefighters are providing their accounts of the incident to investigatiors. There were several reports that a resident of the home was rescued during the blaze, but additional information wasn't immediately available.
The fire gained intensity, according to KHOU, after crews cut a hole in the roof, reporting that after high winds may have fueled the spread of the blaze to a larger portion of the home.
Houston in Mourning Again
Houston firefighters are mourning the loss of two firefighters killed in a single blaze for the second time this decade. Tragically, those firefighters were also lost on a holiday -- Valentine's Day, 2000.
Firefighters Lewis Mayo, 44, and Kimberly Smith, 30, were killed when the roof of a burning McDonald's restaurant collapsed on them. Three teens were convicted of murder in the arson and burglary that started that blaze.
Including today's tragedy and the McDonald's blaze in 2000, there have been seven line of duty deaths in Houston in the last nine years, according to the Houston Fire Memorial site.
In 2001, Captain Jay Jahnke, a 20 year veteran of the Houston Fire Department, died while fighting a high rise fire located in the Galleria area. Firefighter Kevin Kulow was killed in 2004 while battling a building fire, also as a fire intensified and he was unable to escape the structure. Captain Grady Burke died in a 2005 house fire.
Rough Few Months for HFD
The Houston Fire Department has had a rough few months. Just Saturday, the civlian victim of a fire truck crash involving two responding Houston units died from her injuries, KHOU reported. Leigh Boone, 29, was removed from life support, some two weeks aftrer the March 30 crash. She was on a bicycle that was struck during the crash. The driver of the ladder truck involved in the accident was found at fault.. A total of 11 people, including nine firefighters and Boone, were hurt in the crash.
On November 3rd, 2008, the department had a close call at a house fire. Captain Darin Unruh, Station 39, was critically injured with third degree burns and smoke inhalation. STATter911 reported in December that he was recovering at home after spending over a month in the hospital.
During an aggressive interior attack of the one-story structure, command determined fire conditions were too intense and backed all crews out. During the post evacuation accountability check, the two firefighters were determined to be missing.
The victims have been identified as Captain James Harlow and Probationary Firefighter Damiem Hobbs.
Harlow, 50, had nearly 30 years on the job in Houston. He was the caption at Station 26 for the past five years.
Hobbs, 29, had just graduated from the Houston fire academy in March and was on his first assignment at Station 26 since March 7.
About the Victims
| Captain James Harlow, 50, was hired by the HFD in August 1979 and has been a Captain at Fire Station 26 since 2004. | |
| Probationary Firefighter Damien Hobbs, 29, graduated from the HFD Val Jahnke Training Facility on March 3, 2009, with Class 2008C, and began his first assignment at Station 26 on March 7. |
More Coverage
- Deaths Discovered after Roll Call (Timeline & Photo Gallery) (Chronicle)
- Death of Two Firefighters 'Like a Bad Dream (Chronicle)
- Video: Raging Fire Claims Lives of Two Firefighters (KTRK)
- Video: Firefighters Die In The Line Of Duty (Click2Houston)
- Memorial For Fallen Firefighters Grows (Click2Houston)
- Houston Firefighters Lost (FF Close Calls)
- Two Houston Firefighters Killed (STATter911)
Related Links
A mayday was called, KHOU reported, but intense flames kept crews from going back in for search and rescue for some period of time. The exact timeline of the incident was not immediately available.
The Associated Press reported that the victim's bodies were found in the house between 1 a.m. and 1:30 a.m. Rescue workers attempted CPR but the men were pronounced dead at the scene.
The blaze was dispatched at 12:14 a.m. local time, according to the HFD's Active Incidents log. The first due companies were from Station 26, where an engine, ambulance, ladder company and District Chief responded from. Station 26 is about 1.2 miles from the scene of the blaze on Oak Vista.
KTRK reported that at 4:26am, Houston firefighters formed two lines outside of the home as the bodies of the fallen firefighters were removed from the scene by stretcher.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation as firefighters are providing their accounts of the incident to investigatiors. There were several reports that a resident of the home was rescued during the blaze, but additional information wasn't immediately available.
The fire gained intensity, according to KHOU, after crews cut a hole in the roof, reporting that after high winds may have fueled the spread of the blaze to a larger portion of the home.
Houston in Mourning Again
Firefighters Lewis Mayo, 44, and Kimberly Smith, 30, were killed when the roof of a burning McDonald's restaurant collapsed on them. Three teens were convicted of murder in the arson and burglary that started that blaze.
Including today's tragedy and the McDonald's blaze in 2000, there have been seven line of duty deaths in Houston in the last nine years, according to the Houston Fire Memorial site.
In 2001, Captain Jay Jahnke, a 20 year veteran of the Houston Fire Department, died while fighting a high rise fire located in the Galleria area. Firefighter Kevin Kulow was killed in 2004 while battling a building fire, also as a fire intensified and he was unable to escape the structure. Captain Grady Burke died in a 2005 house fire.
Rough Few Months for HFD
The Houston Fire Department has had a rough few months. Just Saturday, the civlian victim of a fire truck crash involving two responding Houston units died from her injuries, KHOU reported. Leigh Boone, 29, was removed from life support, some two weeks aftrer the March 30 crash. She was on a bicycle that was struck during the crash. The driver of the ladder truck involved in the accident was found at fault.. A total of 11 people, including nine firefighters and Boone, were hurt in the crash.
On November 3rd, 2008, the department had a close call at a house fire. Captain Darin Unruh, Station 39, was critically injured with third degree burns and smoke inhalation. STATter911 reported in December that he was recovering at home after spending over a month in the hospital.
Video Report from the Houston Chronicle
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by John on
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My Dept. sends our prayers to the families, friends, and fellow emergency service brothers and sisters for your loss. Stay strong for our thoughts and prayers are with you.
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Permalink Reply by firefighter1213 on
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Our deepest sympathies go out to the families and friends of our 2 fallen hero's. The men and women of the Painter Volunteer Fire Company on the Eastern shore of Virginia will keep our brothers and thier family and friends in our prayers.
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Permalink Reply by Feisty on
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True HERO's men and women in uniform. We will die trying to help others. Rest in Peace...
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Permalink Reply by Bill Claus on
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My thoughts and prayers to family and friends of the fallen. God bless you.
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Permalink Reply by Cody Hammes on
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too close to home... RIP
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Permalink Reply by Jayson Spencer on
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Our hearts and prayers go out to the families and fellow firefighters. We all know its a dangerous job but someone has to do it and its us the firefighters.All we can do is stand together and be safe as possible and always look out for each other thats all we can do. From the Stonewall Volunteer Fire Department. Stonewall, Oklahoma
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Permalink Reply by John J. Santa Croce on
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Duty, Honor, Community
Well Done
Be Thou At Rest
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Permalink Reply by Heidi M. Joiner on
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A tragic loss for their families, immediate and FF/EMS, my thoughts and prayers to them all.
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Permalink Reply by Ryan S. Cortazzo on
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Another sad day in firefighting, may the family's of the fallen be blessed on such a depressing day. My prayers are with them...
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Permalink Reply by rescuediver1122 on
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Such a sad day in firefighting. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and brother firefighters. May god bless you all and keep you close.
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Permalink Reply by Bill Heizer F/F E.M/T.-P on
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May the LORD hold the families in his hand and ease their pain and suffering.R.I.P. Brother's
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Permalink Reply by Robert T. Marchetti on
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On behalf of the officers and members of the Sugarloaf Fire Co., Inc. located in Sugarloaf Township, Pennsylvania I offer our sincere condolences to the family and friends of the departed firefighters. We will keep them in our prayers.
Robert T. Marchetti
Company Recording Secretary.
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