Houston's Line of
Duty Firefighters
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John
Benjamin “Red” Adams
Born: February 25, 1899, in Lola, Texas
Died: March 7, 1948, at age 49
29th
HFD Line of Duty Death
Entered the HFD:
January 22, 1941
Assignment: Pipe and Ladderman-Fire House No. 18
Buried: Forest Park Cemetery, Lawndale, Section 24, Plot 345, Space 7
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Steve Charlie"Steve" Baranowski
Born:
July 9, 1907, in Chappell Hill, Texas
Died:
February 3, 1969, at age 61
46th
HFD
Line of Duty Death
Entered the HFD: December 11, 1941
Assignment: Captain-Fire House No. 37
Buried:
Forest Park Cemetery, Westheimer, Section 502, Plot 168,
Space 2
Steve was survived Nancy, his wife of forty years and three daughters,
Francis, Flora Lee, and Mary Louise. |
Dwight Wayne “Bebe”
Bazile
Born: June 14, 1958, in Houston, Texas
Died: February 21, 2015, at age 56|
69th
HFD
Line of Duty Death
Entered the HFD: October 24, 1977, Class 77A
Assignment: Captain-Fire House No. 46 “D” Shift
Buried:
Brookside Memorial Park Cemetery, Section 52, Lot HE 8
Captain Bazile, a thirty-seven-year veteran, died after fighting a duplex
fire located at 6335 England Street and Cosby Street. He suffered a cardiac
arrest and was transported to Memorial Hermann Hospital where two days later
he lost his life.
Dwight was survived by his wife of thirty years, Pamela Bazile and son
Dwight Bazile II. |
Robert Ryan “Bobby” Bebee
Born:
January
14, 1972, in Corpus Christi, Texas
Died: May 31, 2013, at age
41
66th
HFD
Line of Duty Death
Entered the HFD: June 20, 2002, Class 7 2001
Assignment: Engineer-Operator-Fire House
No. 51 "A" Shift
Buried: South Park
Cemetery, Section A, Lot 29, Space 2
Bobby’s compassion and commitment to the community extended well beyond the fire service through his work helping homeless citizens and animals. |
Born: April 4, 1884, in Houston, Texas
Died:
March 1, 1926, at age 41
14th
HFD
Line of Duty Death
Entered the HFD: 1916
Assignment: Captain-Engine Company No. 4
Buried: Forest Park Cemetery, Lawndale, Section J, Plot 128, Space 2
On Sunday, February 28, 1926, Captain Bishop’s crew responded to a two-
story vacant house fire at 2707 Grant Street and Westheimer Road. On
arrival, the structure was heavily involved. Captain Bishop led his crew up
the rear outside staircase. Once they reached the porch on the second
Captain Bishop was transported to Jefferson Davis Hospital where he died
at 7:20 a.m the following morning. |
John
Andrew “Bob” Boyd
Born:
November 3,
1870, in Galveston, Texas
Died: August 4, 1923, at age 52
12th
HFD
Line of Duty Death
Entered the HFD: September 21, 1895
Assignment: First Assistant Chief-Central Fire Station
Buried: Holy Cross Cemetery, Section H, Plot 71, Space 6
Bob Boyd began his career as a paid driver with the Houston Volunteer Stonewall Hose Company No. 3. He held this position from 1892 to 1895. In September 1895, he became one of the first paid Houston firefighters. He left the fire service in 1919 to serve as a trainman on the Southern Pacific Railroad. In May of 1923, Fire Chief Cornelius “Roxy” Ollre became angry with the two current Assistant Chiefs, and demoted both of them. He contacted Boyd and convinced him to return to his previous position of First Assistant Chief. He died just three months after he returned to the ranks of the Houston Fire Department. |
L.
Delray "DJ" Bruce
Born:
August 23, 1976, in Houston, Texas
Died: October 16, 2020 at age 44
76th
HFD Line of Duty Death
Entered the HFD: April 1, 2004, Class 1 2003
Assignment: Investigator-Arson Division
Buried: Klein Memorial Park, Magnolia, Texas, Section A, Lot 471, Space 2
Investigator Bruce was conducting surveillance during an arson investigation in the 2100 block of West 18th Street around 0330 hours when he got into a confrontation with a suspect and exchanged gunfire. The suspect died at the scene. About an hour later, DJ, shot three times, died from his injuries at Memorial Hermann Hospital. DJ is the Houston Fire Department's first Arson Investigator to die in the line of duty. DJ grew up in north Houston; he was a dedicated Boy Scout and graduated from Klein Oak High School in 1995. After high school DJ enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, where he served honorably for five years. He was one of the youngest Black Hawk helicopter crew chiefs in the history of the Marine Corps. He later served in the Army National Guard. He was survived by Rachel, his wife of fifteen years, and his two young children, Sydney and Grayson. Many of his friends have said “Life is Better with Bruce.” |
Grady Don Burke
Born:
January 31, 1966, in Houston, Texas
Died: February 19, 2005, at age 39
59th
HFD
Line of Duty Death
Entered the HFD: March 3, 1993, Class 93B
Assignment: Captain-Fire House No. 46 “B” Shift
Buried: Forest Park East Cemetery, Webster, Texas, Section 216B, Lot 4, Space 2
Grady Burke, a twelve-year veteran, died while fighting a fire in a vacant
house located at 8510 Brandon Street and Bellfort Avenue. The vacant house
was entered by a vagrant who started a fire for heat and illumination. When
the fire got out of control, he exited the house and boarded a Metro Bus.
The alert bus driver saw him leave the smoking house and called 911.
Grady was survived by his wife of twelve years, Cindy. They were blessed
with three children, Hannah, Hailey and
Hunter. At the time of Grady’s death, they were ages ten, eight and
seven.
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Frank Catino
Born: February 10, 1892, on a boat from Sicily, Italy
Died: January 7, 1954, at age 61
37th
HFD
Line of Duty Death
Entered the HFD: May 15, 1911
Assignment:
Pipe and Ladderman-Central Fire StationBuried:
Forest Park Cemetery, Lawndale, Gethsemane 55, Plot 1232, Space 11
On July 29, 1953, Frank was injured at the same intersection, while responding to an alarm from the same fire alarm box, Gable Street and MKT Railroad. This is where Joseph Solito and Fidel Chabolla died. The same building on the corner, the Southern Electric Supply Company at 1605 Preston Street was damaged in both accidents. The “Houston Chronicle” dubbed it the “Death Corner.” |
Fidel Chabolla
Born: April 24, 1918, in Moore, Texas
Died: July 29, 1953, at age 35
35th
HFD Line of Duty Death
Entered the HFD: October 4, 1951
Assignment: Pipe and Ladderman-Central Fire Station
Buried: Forest Park Cemetery, Lawndale, Gethsemane 54, Plot 847, Space 5
Fidel Chabolla, died along with Joe Solito, in a collision between Engine 8 and Ladder 1. The fire alarm box at Gable Street and MKT Railroad transmitted an alarm which led to the collision of these two apparatus at the intersection of Preston Street and Crawford Street. Engine 10, the first due company, was on another assignment and replaced by Engine 8. Ladder 1 had trouble starting and was delayed leaving quarters. This put both trucks in the intersection at the same time. Seven firefighters were injured in the accident. Fidel was transported to Jefferson Davis Hospital where efforts to save him failed. This is the same intersection where Frank Catino died five months later on January 7, 1954. The same building on the corner, the Southern Electric Supply Company at 1605 Preston Street was damaged in both accidents. The Houston Chronicle dubbed it the “Death Corner.” Fidel was drafted into the United States Army, September 29, 1941. He served with 35th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Brigade until his discharge December 5, 1945. Fidel had recently returned from a three-month leave of absence were he and Lucette, his war-time bride visited her native France.
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Doyle Hubert "Jim" Chandler, Jr.
Born:
December 13, 1932, in Rusk, Texas
Died: November 9, 1959, at age 26
42nd
HFD
Line of Duty Death
Entered the HFD:
July 1, 1958
Assignment: Pipe and Ladderman-Fire House No. 19
Buried: Lyles-Sanders Cemetery, Cushing, Texas, Plot 325
D. H. and his crew responded to the Hess Terminal on Federal Road for a
fire on board the “Amoco Virginia.” The 150,000-gallon tanker was in the
process of loading a cargo of aviation fuel. A worker loading the ship did
not realize there was a small hole in the hose leaking fuel into the water
below. A lantern on a passing tugboat ignited the fuel, causing an explosion
and fire that took sixteen hours and five hundred firefighters to control.
Seven men on the ship perished and forty workers, including several
firefighters, were injured.
D. H. enlisted in the United Naval Reserves August 26, 1951 and was
discharged August 15, 1959.
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Joseph
Earl
“Bull” Connor
Born:
April 18, 1900, in
Houston, Texas
Died: January 31, 1951, at age 50
32nd
HFD Line of Duty Death
Entered the HFD: June 16, 1924
Assignment: Driver-Central Fire Station
Buried: Forest Park Cemetery, Lawndale, Gethsemane 55, Plot 257, Space 1
This fire was especially difficult due to the freezing, icy weather which kept the smoke close to the ground. |
Doninic Joseph “Don” Contorno
Born: March 12, 1911, in Houston, Texas
Died: May 21, 1962, at age 51
44th
HFD
Line of Duty Death
Entered the
HFD: December 16, 1941
Assignment: Pipe and Ladderman-Fire House No. 37
Buried: Forest Park Cemetery, Lawndale, Gethsemane 55, Plot 1099, Space 4
He was transported to St. Joseph
Hospital where the doctors knew he was in serious condition. They were in
disbelief how the heart attack did not kill him instantly. Don had a wife
and a young son at home and a very strong will to live that kept him alive
for ninteen days.
Dom is survived by his wife, Jane, they were married for twenty five years.
They had one son, |
Thomas Norwood "Tom" Cooper
Born: February 17, 1959, in Pine Bluff, Arkansas
Died: September 23, 1982, at age 23
51st
HFD Line of Duty Death
Entered the HFD: February 8, 1982, Class 82A
Assignment: Pipe and Ladderman-Fire House No. 1 “C” Shift
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Harold Albert Denny
Born: September 6, 1905, in Houston, Texas
Died: May 1, 1924, at age 18
13th
HFD
Line of Duty Death
Entered the HFD: 1924
Assignment: Pipe and Ladderman-Fire House No. 9
Buried: Washington Cemetery (Glenwood Cemetery), Section D, Lot 44, Space 4
Harold’s brother-in-law, Captain Little died in the line of duty five
years later on July 11, 1929.
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Thomas William "Bill" Dillion
Born: March 25, 1962, in Houston, Texas
Died: March 14, 2012, at age 49
63rd
HFD
Line of Duty Death
Entered the HFD: June 5, 1989, Class 89C
Assignment: Senior Captain-Fire House No. 69 “B” Shift
Buried: Memorial Oaks Cemetery, Morning Tide, Section 303, Lot 16, Space 5
Senior Captain Dillion suffered a heart attack at a fire in the
Jadestone Apartments, 7520 Cook Road and Winding Passage Street. After the
fire was under control, he began experiencing chest pains and collapsed.
Firefighters performed CPR and he was transported to West
Houston Medical Center where efforts to revive him failed. At the time of
the incident, he was working at Fire House No. 76.
Bill was survived by his two sons, David and Matt, and daughter
Katelyn.
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Harry
Dodd
Born: November 17, 1883, in Kinney, Texas
Died:
July 26, 1923, at age 39
11th
HFD
Line of Duty Death
Entered the HFD: January 1, 1921
Assignment: Pipe and Ladderman-Central Fire Station
Buried:
Hempstead Cemetery, Hempstead, Texas, Located in the Dodd Family Plot
Harry Dodd died when Hook and Ladder 1 responded to a house fire located at 1315 Shaw Street and Andrews Street. The fire apparatus was involved in an accident at the intersection of Dallas Street and Milam Street. A doctor, who was rushing to take care of a patient, entered the intersection at the same time as Hook and Ladder 1. The two vehicles hit with such force that the ladder truck was pushed into the Chapman Street Trolley that was stopped waiting for the fire truck to clear the intersection. Several of his crew members and four civilians were injured in the collision. Harry died at the scene.
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Vernon John Dorsett
Born:
November 15, 1902, in Nacogdoches, Texas
Died: January 21, 1949, at age 46
30th
HFD Line of Duty Death
Entered the HFD:
December 5, 1919
Assignment: Assistant Chief-Central Fire Station
Buried: Rosewood Cemetery, Section 20, Plot 81, Space 6
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William Ross “Iron Bill”Dowling
Born: March
14, 1973, in Albuquerque, New Mexico
Died:
March 7, 2017, at age 43
71st
HFD Line of Duty Death
Entered the HFD: March 21, 2000, Class 1 2000
Assignment: Captain-Fire House No. 68 “A” Shift
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Claud William
Edmonds
Born: September 25, 1894, in Scooba, Mississippi
Died:
August 19, 1926, at age 31
15th
HFD
Line of Duty Death
Entered the HFD: December 16, 1916
Assignment: Captain-Central Fire Station
Buried: Forest Park Cemetery, Lawndale, Section I, Plot 181, Space 2
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