First responders pay their respects to fallen Houston firefighter Marcelo Garcia III

Courtney Fischer Image
Thursday, November 14, 2024
Houston honors the life of fallen firefighter Marcelo Garcia III
Fallen Houston firefighter Marcelo Garcia III was remembered by first responders during Wednesday's funeral at the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart.

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The funeral service for Marcelo Garcia III was held Wednesday, where hundreds of colleagues from around the state remembered him. He died in a collapse while battling a warehouse fire last week.

Garcia was a captain described as a man everyone could count on. He was born and raised in Houston, graduated high school, and was a Houston firefighter for a decade, most recently at Station 8.

Downtown streets closed Wednesday morning as hundreds of firefighters left from Station 8 behind their fallen brother, Garcia, in a flag-draped casket, escorted by his family.

It was a somber walk to the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, where the 42-year-old will be laid to rest exactly one week after the deadly warehouse fire.

"I'll tell you what - the citizens have really shown their support," Houston Fire Department Capt. Sedrick Robinette said.

RELATED: First responders begin paying respects to Houston firefighter who was killed in the line of duty

First responders lined up by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences on Sunday for a procession to honor Marcelo Garcia III.

Healing is how Robinette describes the last seven dark days, thanks to Houstonians who have reached out.

Meanwhile, an investigation into what happened continues.

City records show the warehouse was labeled a "dangerous commercial building" earlier this year. But a city representative told ABC13 that when inspectors went to check it out, they decided that wasn't the case. Instead, they said it was a "nuisance property."

Records show a case was opened to get it cleaned up in seven days. It was supposed to be completed one day before the deadly fire, but it didn't happen.

A fire damage inspection was scheduled for Wednesday. ABC13 tried contacting the property owner but didn't hear back.

Eyewitness News also asked HFD for a reaction to all of this.

"Any time we lose a brother in the line of duty, it's tough to process. I'm not going to speak too much to the investigation," Robinette said.

A woman has been arrested and charged with setting the fire. Investigators believe the intensity of the fire caused a wall to collapse on Garcia, killing him.

Garcia is the 83rd Houston firefighter killed in the line of duty.

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READ MORE: 1st-degree arson charges filed against woman in E. Houston fire that killed firefighter, HFD says

According to court records, 38-year-old Yesenia Espinoza has been charged with first-degree arson in connection to the death of HFD firefighter Marcelo Garcia.
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