Houston firefighter killed in 3-alarm warehouse fire, Rafael’s path uncertain and other Texas news

This has been a very eventful week with some positive news and history made and also some heartbreaking tragedies, such as the death of a Houston firefighter in the line of duty and two people found dead in a Texas state park after being missing for two days.

Here are some of the recent noteworthy happenings in Texas:

Firefighter Marcelo Garcia killed while battling warehouse fire It is a somber morning in Houston, following the tragic line of duty death of firefighter Marcelo Garcia. Garcia, 42, was a 10-year Houston Fire Department veteran assigned to Station 23.

A fire broke out at a warehouse in East Houston, just before 11 p.m. Wednesday and quickly escalated to a three-alarm fire, KTRK reported . Garcia was struck by a wall that collapsed in the warehouse and was pronounced dead at the hospital, according to HFD.

Mayor John Whitmire held a press conference paying his respects Thursday morning and asked Houstonians to keep Garcia's family and the fire department in their prayers.

North Texas elects the South's first openly LGBTQ+ member of Congress North Texas voters made history Tuesday when they elected State Rep. Julie Johnson to succeed U.S. Rep Colin Allred to represent Texas' 32nd Congressional District. The seat serves parts of Dallas, Denton and Collin counties.

Johnson is the first openly LGBTQ+ person from the South to be elected to Congress, according to LGBTQ+ advocacy groups, including Equality Texas and GLAAD.

"This moment is a testament to the power of collective action," Johnson wrote in a Nov. 5 Instagram post . "It's about the countless individuals who fought for equality and inclusion and the belief that our government should reflect the will of its people. ... This win belongs to you."

Johnson, a former trial attorney and mother, also made history in 2018, when she became the first member of the Texas House of Representatives with a spouse of the same gender. She later helped found the state Legislature's first LGBTQ+ caucus and served as the vice chair of the women's health caucus.

Texas college students unite to support each other following conflict on campus Texas State University students banded together Wednesday afternoon to push what appeared to be radical Christian protesters off the San Marcos campus.

The individuals who were "shouting provocative religious-themed slogans at students" are not affiliated with Texas State University, according to a spokesperson for the university. The two individuals held signs that read "Homo sex is sin" and "Women are property."

Campus police escorted the demonstrators off campus after they clashed with a crowd of approximately 200 students.

Some students gathered later to hold space for and support their peers in the aftermath. Jakob Janowski, 21, and Kayla Green, 22, felt the demonstrators misrepresented the teachings of their religion.

"We're out here for people that were saddened by what they saw to have some sort of hope that...that wasn't what Jesus was about," Janowski said.

Bodies of missing adult and child found in Texas state park A 29-year-old man and 4-year-old boy who went missing at Lake Corpus Christi State Park in Mathis, Texas, on Sunday, Nov. 3, were found deceased on Monday and Tuesday, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Texas Game Wardens responded to an incident at the park when five swimmers became distressed on Sunday, the TPWD public information officer reported.

Three of the swimmers were rescued from the water and taken to a nearby hospital for medical attention. However, the man and boy were missing. After searching on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, TPWD with the support of local first responders found the man on Monday and the boy on Tuesday. Both were deceased when found washed ashore.

Hurricane Rafael's path after Cuba not clear Hurricane Rafael made landfall in Cuba as a Category 3 hurricane Wednesday evening. The storm is expected to continue to bring periods of heavy rain to western Cuba on Thursday with flash flooding and mudslides possible along higher terrain, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Tropical storm warnings were issued for the lower and middle Florida Keys early Thursday morning. In a 3 a.m. CST update , the NHC said Rafael is "forecast to meander over the south-central Gulf of Mexico this weekend and early next week." Rafael's projected path is unclear, but NHC advises residents in the southern and southwestern Gulf of Mexico monitor Rafael updates.

As of 9 a.m. CST, the most recent update from NHC, Rafael was turning west-northwestward over the southeastern Gulf of Mexico at approximately 9 mph, the center reported .