A mattress ignited by a careless smoker was likely the source of a blaze that resulted in the worst loss of life from fire in Houston's history. The Gulf Hotel was located on the second and third floors of a three-story brick building at Louisiana and Preston. The hotel was a favorite place for transients because it was close to the bus station and oferred beds for less than 40 cents and cots for 20 cents a night.

The hotel was fully occupied when the blaze began early on September 7, 1943. The fire spread rapidly because of the wooden partitions that created "rooms" in the old building. Firefighters arrived to find the front of the building already completely in flames.

Hotel guests jammed the fire escape, blocking the exit. Some of the men tried jumping from the windows - two to their deaths. Firefighters battled the blaze for two hours before they were able to pull 38 bodies from the rubble. In all, the fire claimed 55 lives.