Four firefighters dead in major Houston hotel, restaurant blaze

Four firefighters were killed in a five-alarm fire that broke out at a Houston restaurant Friday, officials said.

The blaze started at Bhojan Restaurant off U.S. 59 and spread to the nearby Southwest Inn, said Jessica Michan, a spokeswoman for Mayor Annise Parker.

Five other firefighters were injured and have been transported to hospitals. Two are in critical condition, Michan said.

It took firefighters two hours to extinguish the flames, which were shooting from the roof of the motel, the Associated Press reported.

Jeff Caynon, president of the Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association, told the Houston Chronicle it appears a roof came down during the efforts to fight the blaze.

“The roof collapsed,” Canyon said, adding that he did not know whether the deaths occured inside or outside the structure. Officials have not yet identified the cause of the fire.

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