HOUSTON – For Erica Garcia, the pain of losing her brother is raw, and she struggles to imagine a life without him.
Just two and a half years apart, Marcelo and Erica shared a deep bond, one that was built on love, laughter, and years of shared memories.
“It’s just going to be really hard to go through life without him,” Erica Garcia said. “He was the best. Anyone who met him loved him, and he was always there for anyone who needed him.”
Garcia, 42, died after battling a three-alarm warehouse fire.
It happened late Wednesday night just before 11 p.m. when crews were called to a warehouse covered in flames on Supply Row near Polk Street off Highway 90. A few minutes later, Houston Fire Department Chief Thomas Muñoz said a second alarm was called to have additional reinforcements.
A mayday was later called as well as a third alarm when a wall collapsed, injuring two firefighters.
One of them suffered minor injuries and is OK, but Garcia tragically died at the hospital.
Shortly thereafter, Erica Garcia, received a call from Chief Muñoz.
“That’s the phone call that is going to forever change our lives. And I just wish that, you know, it could have been different,” she said.
Garcia recalls how difficult it was for the chief to share the news.
“He couldn’t get out the words either,” she explains. “I was like, ‘Just tell me what happened. What happened?’ His wife had to get on the phone and let me know. So, I know that it was hard for him as well.”
Muñoz said Garcia served HFD for 10 years, the last six of which were with Station 23.
“Every day, he woke up to serve the public, just like all our brothers and sisters in the Houston Fire Department,” Chief Muñoz said during a news conference fighting through tears. “His reason was to serve the public; save lives, as the mayor said, so others can feel safe; a remarkable man who gave the ultimate sacrifice. And every firefighter that puts on that shirt, that patch, that badge, that’s the reason.”
MORE: ‘A True Hero:’ Houston firefighter dies battling 3-alarm fire at an East End warehouse
The last death the department experienced was in 2013 Captain William “Iron Bill” Dowling, one of the firefighters injured in the Southwest Inn fire. Dowling’s death was listed as a “line-of-duty” due to complications from injuries he sustained in the 2013 fire.
“Marcelo was a testament to what the East End represents,” said Council Member Joaquin Martinez, who was Garcia’s childhood friend. “He always felt a deep sense of gratitude for the community that raised him, and he spent his life giving back. One of the ways he did this was by creating scholarships for local kids, especially those who played in the same little league football team he was part of as a child. He wanted to make sure the next generation had the same opportunities he did.”
Marcelo was not only known for his selflessness as a firefighter, but also for his efforts to better his community. Before his passing, he had been working on various projects to help local youth, further cementing his commitment to the East End.
“He was always working on ways to help the community. I know he was planning several initiatives to support local kids,” his sister said. “His heart was always with the people, especially the younger generation. He wanted to give them the opportunities he had growing up.”
Erica said what she’ll miss most about her brother are the simple words of positivity text messages he’d send the family. Those little gestures now feel like cherished memories.
“We used to tease him about always sending us cheesy positive quotes to brighten our days. But honestly, I’m going to miss that the most—those little messages that would always make me smile, no matter how bad my day was,” Erica said.
The family intends on continuing his legacy by maintaining his commitments.
“I will step in and do it as much as I can. I know I can never fill his shoes because he did so much, but I will do everything I can to continue on his legacy and with all of the different organizations that he’s a part of and things that he was working on,” she said.
