Houston Firefighter Marcelo Garcia Dies in Blaze

Houston firefighter Marcelo Garcia, 42, tragically died while battling a warehouse fire in East Houston late Wednesday night after a wall collapsed on him. Garcia, a 10-year veteran of the Houston Fire Department and stationed at Station 23, was pronounced dead at the hospital, while another firefighter sustained minor injuries. The fire, which erupted around 11 p.m. on Polk Street, quickly escalated to a three-alarm incident, prompting multiple emergency calls. Houston Fire Chief Thomas Muñoz and Mayor John Whitmire have publicly mourned Garcia, calling him a hero and asking the community to keep his family and colleagues in their prayers. The fire department is providing counseling services to support the grieving firefighters and their families, and an investigation into the cause of the fire is underway.