Lancton on tragic anniversary for Houston Fire Department: 'Our mission starts with the families of our fallen'

May 31, 2013 will always be remembered by the members of the Houston Fire Department (HFD) as the darkest day in the agency's history. 

According to Houston ABC affiliate KTRK, a blaze at the now-defunct Southwest Inn took the lives of five firefighters on that day. 

The station reported that Robert Bebee, Robert Garner, Mathew Renaud and Anne Sullivan died at the scene while Captain Bill Dowling, who lost his legs in the incident, died almost four years later.

KTRK reported that firefighters returned to the scene of the tragedy – located at 6855 Southwest Fwy. near Houston's Sharpstown neighborhood – to remember their fallen comrades.

"Every year, we come to this site to remember to never forget them, and to send a message to the families of our fallen," Houston Professional Firefighters Association (HPFA) President Patrick "Marty" Lancton said, according to the station. "Our mission starts with the families of our fallen who have given their lives in a line of service to the city of Houston."

Houston NBC affiliate KPRC reported that 13 others were injured in the fire.

At the time, per the station, Dowling led a rescue attempt to extricate trapped firefighters only to sustain injuries when a roof collapsed.

Dowling also lost his ability to communicate because of serious brain damage, KPRC reported.

An investigation subsequently determined that the fire began in an attic just three hours before HFD responded to the scene, the station reported.

Officials also attributed the firefighters' deaths to an overloaded radio system.

As a result, according to KPRC, the fire department made improvements and updates to its digital radio system citywide.