Southwest Inn Fire

On May 31, 2013, the Southwest Inn fire broke out in an Indian restaurant in Southwest Houston before spreading to an adjoining hotel. The fire claimed the biggest casualty loss for the Houston Fire Department since its inception. Four firefighters were killed and 13 others were injured while fighting the five-alarm fire at the Southwest Inn.^[7] "Iron" Bill Dowling, who lost his legs and damaged his brain in the fire, died in Colorado on March 7, 2017, after a short hospitalization for pneumonia and cellulitis, attributed to his injuries.^[8]

2016 Houston Fire

After the spreading of a backyard fire in Spring Branch, Houston, Texas, a packaging warehouse burned down during a four-alarm fire which included exploding canisters of hazardous material. Nearly 200 firefighters were dispatched to the site over several hours. As of May 2016, the initial cause of the fire remains unknown.^[9][10]

1979 Woodway Square Apartment Fire

Late in the afternoon of July 31, 1979, a call came in for an apartment fire at the Woodway Square Apartments in Houston. First units arriving immediately started calling for help as the high winds were fanning flames across the wood shingle roofs. Flames were jumping building to building and embers were entering the neighborhoods igniting roofs.

In all 7 alarms were called for which included equipment backed into Houston Fire stations from Cy-Fair, Little York and Northwest Volunteer Fire Departments.

Hundreds lost everything they owned. At one point it was discussed using explosives to demolish one building to make a fire break. As firefighters worked on controlling the apartment fire, booster trucks were tasked with driving through the neighborhoods extinguishing spot fires on roofs of homes.

On the day of the fire, the Houston Fire Department requested the city to ban wood shingles. They refused but the day after the fire they decided to ban them. In that day and age, most new homes had wood shingles and they were required by homeowners associations