Tenants of The Cooper apartments frustrated by communication during, after fire

Multiple residents displaced by the fire Monday at The Cooper apartments have complained of a lack of information from the management company, which they say has added stress to an already traumatic experience.

The Fort Worth Fire Department was called to the six-alarm blaze on West Rosedale Street about 1:30 p.m. on Monday. Residents say they received the first email from management at 2:14 p.m., stating “Fire: Evacuate the Building,” and then another email was sent at 3:01 p.m., which said there was an active fire on the property in Building 1.

All 834 residents were displaced, according to the Fire Department. In interviews with more than 10 tenants, many of them told the Star-Telegram they heard from neighbors, family, co-workers or classmates that there was a fire and to evacuate before they heard from the apartment complex.

Other tenants said they didn’t hear the fire alarms in their units or in the hallway until much later, if at all. And some say they were confused by what their leases said about renters’ insurance, and they were left without coverage. More than 100 residents have shared their complaints and questions in a Facebook group.

Michael Harris, one of the tenants of Building 1, said Wednesday that the delayed and poor communication was frustrating and he and other neighbors would like better support from the management.

“At this point it seems like they’re really just protecting themselves, just trying to make sure that they get first dibs on assessing the situation, without letting the residents take a look for themselves. Everyone’s just kind of frustrated,” Harris said.

Cause of fire, partial collapse of building

Fort Worth Fire Department spokesperson Craig Trojacek said investigators determined the fire was accidental and that it was caused by an electrical problem in “void spaces” near the roof and an HVAC unit. A Fire Department report describes the origin and cause as “electrically-energized wiring within void spaces along and under roofing material” and an “electrical anomaly with arcing.”

An investigator interviewed a maintenance contractor who started trying to repair the HVAC unit about two hours before the fire. The maintenance worker said the electrical breaker connected to the unit was tripped and he believed it may have been a “bad breaker.” He disconnected the wiring, removed the breaker and left to get a new one. He said he connected the new breaker and it “auto-tripped,” suggesting there was a wiring issue between the breaker and the HVAC unit. He disconnected the breaker and returned to the roof to disconnect the wiring to the HVAC unit and that’s when he smelled smoke and saw fire near the AC unit from the roof line, according to the report. He called 911.

There was a partial roof collapse during the fire, and a section of the interior of Building 1 collapsed from the fifth floor down to the second floor, according to the report.

The Fire Department has turned control of the complex back over to the apartment managers. The department is waiting to see if it will receive a copy of the final report from the structural engineers hired by the apartments’ management, Trojacek said on Friday. The report will give information on which units are safe to be inhabited, which ones residents can safely return to to collect things but aren’t habitable, and which ones are unsafe to be entered under any circumstances.

Management of The Cooper has declined to comment in response to questions about the fire.

On Tuesday, the complex had told residents of Building 1 that some of their apartments might be safe to access soon. But in an email on Wednesday evening, management told tenants that water from the upper floors “has been steadily seeping down and settling into the structure,” compromising the building’s integrity. All Building 1 tenants will be released from their leases without penalty, according to the email, which included information about nearby apartment communities that will waive fees for those who wish to move. The managers also said they were trying to schedule time next week for those residents to get essential items out of their homes.

It’s unclear when residents of Building 2 might be able to move back into their apartments and the situation is “constantly evolving,” with new information from engineers and safety officials, according to the email. Managers said they were waiting on environmental reports and repairs to the fire system in Building 2.

“We know this continues to be a challenging and uncertain time,” the email says. “Please be assured we are doing everything we can behind the scenes to coordinate next steps, advocate for your needs, and provide timely information as it becomes available.”

Residents get first look at damage

Some residents of Building 2 were able to go back into their apartments for about 15 minutes on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning to grab essential items and get their first look at the damage. One woman shared video with the Star-Telegram that showed water spots on the walls and ceiling in some areas of her unit.

But Harris said on Wednesday morning that they had not yet heard from management about the extent of damage to the overall structure or the next steps for tenants.

“The apartment (complex) themselves has not shared that information,” Harris said. “I personally have heard from the structural engineer, because I was across the street yesterday when he finished his inspection and he said that he would have to do a report, but he was going to send a preliminary report yesterday evening.”

For tenants whose apartments were cleared for entry but had extensive damage, employees took a list of items the tenants provided with what they needed and where to find it, and said their belongings would be brought out to them.

Harris, who lives three doors down from a unit that caught fire, said he was told that his unit appeared to only have cosmetic damage.

“I find that hard to believe, because actual firemen were in my apartment, on my balcony, using my unit as a smoke vent,” Harris said. “And my neighbor’s upstairs loft was on fire. So, I just find it hard to believe that my unit specifically has purely cosmetic damage.”

Tenants concerned about communication

Barbara Simpson, another tenant in Building 1, said that her problem with the apartments’ communication started on the day of the fire when she was looking for information about shelters and any help available.

“The management sent out communications through our email that we were to report to 1100 Hemphill to receive assistance from the Red Cross,” Simpson said. “When we got there, all they did was provide us a cooling station at 1100 Hemphill and gave us some water and some snacks.”

She said at 1100 Hemphill (One Safe Place), they gave her the information for the Red Cross’ temporary overnight shelter at 600 Congress St.

Simpson said when she went to the shelter, there were no other residents there.

“When I went and said I’m from The Cooper, the lady said it was her and two other workers,” Harris said. “They said, you may have solved the mystery, because we were told by management over 800 of y’all (are) displaced, but we haven’t had but one person to come in and use the shower.”

On Tuesday, a Red Cross worker told the Star-Telegram that a few people had stopped by to cool down and get information. The Red Cross said it also had a disaster relief team on site at The Cooper to assess victims’ needs, and information available by phone.

According to Simpson, there also was no information given to the tenants about the two cooling buses that were on site Monday for anyone needing to get out of the heat. She said she only learned about them when she came back from getting dinner and her sister was placed on the bus by firefighters who saw her having a hard time.

Simpson is also one of the tenants who said they did not hear any alarms going off that day.

“Management walked all the way around this building when that fire was going on and the alarms did not go out,” Simpson said. “That’s what why we were so upset — the alarms did not go off.”

She said that she got a knock on the door and thought it was a joke, so she didn’t come out and remained in her unit for another hour after the fire had started.

She could see first responders’ vehicles, but no fire because of her location. She said that she saw people on the other side going in and out of the apartments because the fire wasn’t close to them.

Jesse Wilkins, who was able to go into his apartment Wednesday, grabbed a bed for his cat, his computer and other personal items.

“The only thing that I kind of was confused on is they gave an email last night that had time slots and then sent out texts this morning, that kind of contradicted that for some of the floors,” Wilkins said Wednesday, when tenants were given a short window of time to enter their apartments. He said he was relieved to get the opportunity to collect his belongings.

He said that he understood that management was swamped and he understood the delay in getting information.

Lauren Tipton said that she has been staying with a friend who doesn’t live close by and is borrowing clothes. She also said she wasn’t receiving any information from management.

“It seems like the fire department is giving out more information than management,” Tipton said. “Which I guess they know more. But it feels very weird that I’m having to go up and ask someone with the fire department who just worked so much to save us essentially, when management could be relaying that information to us so that we’re not going and bothering them.”

Tipton was able to speak a employee on site Wednesday to get more information.

Questions about renters’ insurance

Tenants also said they were concerned about renters’ insurance. Some are saying that, according to the lease, they were required to pay a monthly fee that was included in their rent cost for insurance, and that they received mixed signals from management regarding the necessity of third-party insurance.

Residents said they talked to people who worked in the office and were told they didn’t need both types of insurance, even though the insurance that’s included in the rent doesn’t cover the tenants’ items.

Sid Telidevara, a tenant in Building 1 on the fourth floor, said that he heard the fire alarm, but other tenants farther down didn’t hear it.

“We know at least like half of our building did not get the fire alarm,” Telidevara said. “I know one of our neighbors, Lauren here, did not get a fire alarm, and she didn’t even know what was happening until she looked out her window.”

He went on to say that he has not received enough information as he and others would like.

“We don’t know if we’re allowed back in to grab our stuff,” Telidevara said on Wednesday. “We don’t even know the state of our apartment since we were so close to the fire, so we have not been able to get the information that we need to move on.”

Telidevara is one of the tenants fortunate enough to have a third-party insurance company.

“Thank God,” he said. “But from what I heard directly from the property manager’s mouth yesterday was that if you got insurance from them, they’re not going to cover anything that the fire damages, that the insurance is very specific to structural integrity issues and not fire damage.”

He said that he doesn’t plan on staying at this apartment complex and he is trying to figure out the lease situation.

“We just want some (expletive) answers,” Telidevara said. “That’s really it, we just want to know what the next steps are, and we just want to know how we can move forward with our lives. We don’t know why a billion-dollar company like Cushman and Wakefield can’t give us clarity, and can’t give us support, and why we, the community, are here supporting each other. Where is everybody? Where is everybody?

At the time of publication Cushman and Wakefield, which manages the complex, did not respond to a request for a statement about the issues.

Staff writer Harriet Ramos contributed to this report.

This story was originally published June 26, 2025 at 6:57 PM.