The Associated Press
HOUSTON — A federal report says several factors contributed to the deaths of four Houston firefighters battling a fire in 2013, including the building’s construction and an inadequate sprinkler system.
Thirty-five-year-old Capt. Matthew Renaud, 41-year-old engineer operator Robert Bebee, 29-year-old firefighter Robert Garner and 24-year-old firefighter Anne Sullivan were killed in the fire at a Houston restaurant in May 2013.
The report released by the Centers for Disease Control’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health says other factors that contributed to their deaths included heavy winds, personnel accountability and communication problems.
The national institute’s report comes after an internal Houston Fire Department inquiry and a report from the Texas State Fire Marshal’s Office.
The fire department said it reviewed the report with families of the fallen firefighters last week.