Firefighter who lost both legs in 2013 motel fire that killed 4 dies
HOUSTON -- Captain William Dowling, who was seriously injured in the 2013 motel fire that killed four Houston firefighters, has died.
The hero known as Iron Bill was recently hospitalized with pneumonia and cellulitis, according to a Facebook page managed by his wife.
On May 31, 2013, Capt. Dowling was injured while fighting a massive fire at the Southwest Inn motel along the Southwest Freeway. He lost both legs after they were pinned beneath burning debris. Four heroes were killed in the five-alarm fire: Robert Bebee, Robert Garner, Matthew Renaud, and Anne Sullivan.
"There were dozens of acts of heroism that took place that day, and our firefighters got Bill out of that situation and gave him the first chance of survival," then-HFD Fire Chief Terry Garrison said as Dowling was released from the hospital.
SEE ALSO: Update on Captain Dowling's condition following the fire
