Houston firefighter Marcelo Garcia was killed and another injured in a fire at a warehouse on Polk Street in east Houston

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — A Houston firefighter died while battling a fire at a warehouse in east Houston overnight.

Fire officials said a wall collapsed, killing the 42-year-old firefighter and injuring another.

The fire broke out just before 11 p.m. Wednesday at a warehouse on Polk Street near Wayside Drive and escalated very quickly.

Shortly after firefighters arrived, they raised a second alarm and then there was an emergency call after a wall collapsed.

Officials said one of the firefighters was not seriously injured, but the other firefighter, Marcelo Garcia, was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Garcia has been with HFD for 10 years and spent the last six years at Station 23 on Lawndale Street on the Southeast Side.

“You wonder what kind of man he was. He was a man who woke up every morning to come to work to help others and save lives. A hero, a true hero,” said Fire Chief Thomas Muñoz.

“Firefighter Garcia left this morning expecting a good day, a hard day, a dangerous day, but he expected to go home,” said Houston Mayor John Whitmire. “I met him recently. A good-looking, 42-year-old young man with his life ahead of him.”

City leaders are asking for prayers for Garcia's family and colleagues, some of whom had to remove him from the warehouse.

“Here and out at the station, it is still a very sad day for the Houston Fire Department. We grieve together, we pray together, but more importantly, we honor our brother and his life, we honor it together,” said Patrick “Marty.” “Lancton with the Houston Firefighter's Union.

The fire department was able to extinguish the flames. Daylight video from the crime scene shows the charred building.

The investigation into what exactly caused the flames is ongoing.

Fire Chief Thomas Muñoz said the camp was empty. A man who works nearby told ABC13 he occasionally sees people working outside the building.