Service members on border mission displaced by fire at Texas hotel

Dozens of service members deployed to the federal border mission are safe after the Laredo hotel they were staying in was damaged in a fire. Dozens of service members deployed to the federal southwest border mission are safe after a fire at the DoubleTree Hotel in Laredo, Texas. (City of Laredo/Facebook) Dozens of service members deployed to the federal southwest border mission are safe after the Laredo, Texas, hotel they were staying in was significantly damaged in a fire early Wednesday. The DoubleTree by Hilton in Laredo had 203 registered guests, including 67 troops from Joint Task Force-Southern Border, according to information from the city and the military task force.

Four people who were in the hotel when the fire began at about 12:52 a.m. were transported to a local hospital for smoke inhalation, and four others independently sought medical care, according to the city. The task force did not confirm whether any troops were among the injured, only that all were evacuated safely. “[Task force] leadership is actively engaged in identifying and addressing immediate and follow-on needs for our service members affected by the fire,” Lt. Cmdr. Lauren Cole, task force spokeswoman, said in a statement. “The most important part — and what we are so thankful for — is that all our service members are safe.” The Texas