911: Lone Star – Based on a True Story?
911: Lone Star Happened april 17, 2013
Did you know that 911: Lone Star is real – in the sense that there was an actual event that inspired it? I’m not talking about the companies (Ladder 3, Rescue 1, and Squad 1) that had to be rebuilt after 9/11. This refers to an actual event that occurred in Texas. It was condensed and made Hollywood ready with Rob Lowe, but something similar did happen.
You may not remember because the Boston Marathon Bombing happened April 15, 2013.
How do I know that 911: Lone Star is sort of real? I went to the CDC archive from NIOSH that records and investigates the death of any firefighters in the line of duty. With the exception of September 11thand some wildfire deaths, you can read all the way back to the 1990’s. In Texas in 2013, 10 firefighters died fighting a fire at a fertilizer plant that ultimately exploded. Not everyone was in one company. Multiple volunteer firefighters and a full-time captain that happened to be driving by all perished. Two members of the firefighting company survived because they were too far away. Many of the victims weren’t even supposed to be there; they had come from a nearby EMS class that was going at the same time. It’s somewhat sad that articles like this discussed a firehouse that lost its entire shift yet missed out on the actual events that are the basis of 911: Lone Star.
This is why in my writing – if a character grabs an ax or a scalpel – it will be the right one.
On a lighter note, Rob Lowe turns 56 in March 2020 and is getting trolled by his kids above. He re-invented himself like six times. Did you know The West Wing ran from 1999-2006. That was 14 years ago.
In case you were worried he was getting too old, Liv Tyler is his love interest. She’s 42, a mere 14 year age gap. (How about Alex’s and Jo’s 14 year age gap? Or Olivia’s and Fitz’s 16 year age gap? Maybe Vic’s and Ripley’s 16 year age gap? Possibly Meredith’s and Andrew’s 20 year age gap? Or Rosita’s and Abraham’s 26 year age gap? )
I sense a new blog topic . . .