FORT WORTH, Texas - Firefighters evacuated a multi-story senior assisted living center in west Fort Worth on Monday after a fire broke out on the building’s fourth floor, sending heavy smoke through the structure.
According to the Fort Worth Fire Department, crews were dispatched at approximately 11:30 a.m. to a reported commercial structure fire in the 3200 block of Sondra Drive. While units were en route, the call was upgraded to a mid-rise commercial fire. Firefighters arrived to find black smoke coming from the roof, and a working fire was declared.
Fire officials determined the building was a senior assisted living facility with multiple floors. Sprinklers activated on the fourth floor, where the fire originated. Due to heavy smoke conditions, the incident commander requested a second alarm to assist with evacuating residents throughout the building.
Firefighters conducted an interior attack and were able to confine the fire to a single unit on the fourth floor. Crews simultaneously assisted residents and their pets out of the building, responding to multiple calls from occupants who reported their unit locations and requested help. That information was relayed to firefighters working inside the structure.
Emergency personnel evaluated residents for smoke exposure and other medical issues. One resident was transported to a local hospital for smoke inhalation. Fire officials said the evacuation was conducted methodically, with crews checking every unit to ensure no one remained inside.
The incident lasted approximately three and a half hours as firefighters completed the evacuation and later assisted residents with reentry into units deemed safe. The American Red Cross Greater North Texas was contacted to provide emergency assistance and shelter for residents who could not immediately return to their apartments.
The Fort Worth Fire Department Arson and Bomb Investigation Division determined the fire was accidental and caused by a mechanical malfunction.
Fire officials also thanked the River Oaks Fire Department for providing mutual aid during the response.
