800 residents wait to get in Cooper Apartments after 6-alarm Fort Worth fire

The day after a record-setting six-alarm fire, more than 800 residents of The Cooper Apartments in Fort Worth waited anxiously Tuesday to find out when they could get back into their homes to assess damage and collect their belongings.

Bridgette Turner, who moved into her unit at The Cooper about three months ago, said she had just started to settle in and had finished decorating her apartment the way she wanted before the fire.

“I work in Dallas, so I wasn’t here, and by the time I got back here, it was crazy, and I stayed for a little bit hoping that they would get it under control, and we would be able to go back in and get things, but I’m still waiting to get back into my apartment,” Turner said on Tuesday.

Fort Worth Fire Department spokesperson Craig Trojacek said firefighters were working with structural engineers to determine which areas of the complex on West Rosedale Street are safe to enter. The historic fire was determined to be accidental, while the exact cause is under investigation, he said. It may have started in the HVAC system.

The Fire Department said in a news release that the apartments house 834 residents, who were all displaced. Some were able to quickly grab things while evacuating before the fire spread, but many were left still waiting to hear when they can get anything that’s salvageable from inside their units.

In an email Tuesday evening, apartment managers released a schedule of when residents can enter their apartments for 15 minutes to grab essentials. Residents on the fifth floor of Building 2 were allowed inside from 6-7 p.m. Tuesday, according to the email, and all residents were allowed to retrieve their cars. On Wednesday, other Building 2 residents will be allowed in on the following schedule: Floor 4 from 9-10 a.m., Floor 3 from 10-11 a.m., Floor 2 from 11 a.m.-12 p.m., and Floor 1 from 12-1 p.m. Residents of Building 1 should expect an update Wednesday morning on which units will be safe to access for them to grab items in the afternoon, according to the email.

Tiony Cooper, a resident of the complex, was at work like many of the tenants at the time the blaze started Monday afternoon. She was notified through a communication from the management office.

“What’s kind of the saddest part about this, about it all, is the community aspect of this apartment complex, because they do events for us,” Cooper said. “They do the Wednesday food trucks. They do a lot of stuff that brings people together. So you see a lot of your neighbors all the time.”

A lot of Cooper’s co-workers were at a TCU Burnett School of Medicine building nearby and could see the fire, she said. They called friends to check if they were able to get out of their apartments, or if at work, whether they knew about the fire.

Her mother, Tina Cooper, said Tiony called her while she was at work and she knew immediately that something was wrong.

Her first concern was where Tiony was and later she was sad because she knew how much her daughter loves her apartment and her neighbors.

Some residents say they weren’t told about fire

Astrid and Luke Walsh have lived at the apartment complex for four years and moved from one section of the building to another just this year.

“We were just about to renew our lease — we just got the email to renew our lease two days ago. And then this happens,” Astrid said. “We just got a random email an hour or two after the fire started. So I only found out because I have a coworker, and she called me saying, your apartment is on fire. Otherwise, I didn’t know. I didn’t get any email at all.”

Astrid said she rushed over Monday and was able to get inside and grab her cats.

Management employees of The Cooper who were on site Tuesday declined to comment about the fire, and in an email, a company spokesperson said they had no comment.

This wasn’t the first fire at The Cooper, according to residents. They said that smaller fires happened at the apartments in October and June in 2024. The six-story apartment complex opened in 2020.

The Walshes went to Target on Monday night and recognized people who were in the store who live in their complex.

“We’re all kind of going through a similar thing, walking around the building and asking people what floor they’re on and what they were able to get out, and hearing stories,” Astrid said. “It’s a weird comfort and tragedy.”

Luke Walsh said that he is grateful that he and Astrid and their pets are safe. Everything else can be replaced, he said.

Many Cooper residents work in medicine, attend TCU

The apartments are close to the city’s Near Southside medical district, and Tiony Cooper said that many of her neighbors are medical professionals — nurses, doctors or students in the field. Some of them were working at the time saving people’s lives and couldn’t get to their apartment to get their pets or any possessions, she said.

The Fort Worth Fire Department said that pet owners could look at the Chuck Silcox Animal Care & Control Center at 4900 Martin St., where animals were taken after being rescued.

Residents noted that one of the maintenance workers, named Carlos, went back several times trying to get animals out of the building with just a rag covering his mouth and nose. They were thankful that some of the animals could be saved.

According to TCU, more than 40 students at the university’s medical school live at The Cooper, which is across Rosedale Street from the Burnett School’s Arnold Hall. TCU is raising money through an emergency fund to help those students.

“Our affected students need immediate support as they face the challenges of temporary relocation, and replenishment of household items, clothing, and more,” TCU officials wrote on a fundraising website. “Your gift to the Student Emergency Fund will move through an established process of oversight and equitable distribution to those in need.”

Dr. Kelvin Zhou, a resident physician at John Peter Smith Hospital, had only lived at The Cooper for two months before the fire. He moved here from Houston to work at JPS for a year.

Zhou said that it was a chaotic experience. He found out about the fire while he was in orientation at the hospital through an email. At the time, he said, he thought it was a small fire that would be controlled quickly. Later on, he found the extent of the damage.

He was able to find a hotel through a list compiled by the apartment management of places offering discounted rates for fire victims.

“It’s a very surreal experience, and it definitely puts things into perspective,” Zhou said. “You know, at the end of the day, I’m really thankful that at least a lot of the residents are safe.”

Red Cross offers shelter

A shelter has been set up by the Red Cross for residents who need somewhere to stay. It’s at the Charles H. Haws Athletic Center, 600 Congress St., and remained open Tuesday night with dinner provided. Pets are welcome at the shelter.

The shelter will function as a service center during the day through the rest of this week, the Red Cross said. Residents can connect to assistance, services and other information from the American Red Cross of Greater North Texas by visiting the shelter or calling 1-800-RED-CROSS. (1-800-733-2767)

Updated information also can be found on the Red Cross website, which also includes details on how to volunteer or make donations.

St. Andrew Catholic Church also is accepting donations to help the residents. The church said donations can be dropped off from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Friday, June 27, at Luxia River East, 336 Oakhurst Scenic Drive in Fort Worth.

The most-needed items include toiletries, clothing (all sizes), blankets, school supplies, food and drinks, medical supplies, and phone chargers. Cash donations also will be accepted on site, the church said in a Facebook post.

Only one resident was hospitalized after being rescued by firefighters, according to the Fire Department. A few others were treated by medics at the scene.

Firefighters remained at the scene Tuesday afternoon. Trojacek, the department spokesperson, said structural engineers were doing a walk-through to determine which units are OK for residents to return to and which ones are unsafe. They hoped to have a better idea later on Tuesday.

“(Resident) safety is first and foremost,” Trojacek said.

Staff writers Harriet Ramos and Lillie Davidson contributed to this report.

This story was originally published June 24, 2025 at 5:36 PM.