Cause of Three-Alarm Building Fire in Fort Worth, TX, Probed
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
(TNS)
Fort Worth firefighters are battling a 3-alarm apartment fire in the 13000 block of Gazebo Lane, on the far east side of the city, Wednesday morning.
The fire at 13716 Gazebo Lane was reported shortly after 8 a.m. and firefighters arrived on scene in less than five minutes, a spokesperson for the Fort Worth Fire Department told the Star-Telegram at the scene. The fire is now considered under control.
City investigators are still looking into what started the fire and will review cameras for the remainder of the day to identify a cause. No injuries were reported.
Sixteen units were damaged by either water or fire, and 15 of those were occupied. A spokesperson estimated about 50 residents will be displaced. The Red Cross arrived on scene to assist those displaced residents.
There was already fire coming from the roof when first responders arrived, and the firefighters battled 20 mph winds and 29 mph gusts from the north. More than 90 firefighters have been on the scene since the fire was first reported, a spokesperson said.
Vanessa Richardson, a six-month resident of the apartment building, said she was asleep when the fire started, but her roommate was up making coffee and woke up to a burning smell.
“He banged on my door and told me to get out and there was a fire,” Richardson told the Star-Telegram at the scene. “So I grabbed my phone, documents and my house shoes and ran outside, and I saw the unit on the end of my building was on fire. I had enough time to go and run in and get my cat out of the bathtub who was hiding.”
Richardson said she has not heard from first responders how long it will take until they finish at the scene but expects them to be there for the rest of the day.
“At the end of the day, everyone is all right. I’m not hurt. It could have been much worse,” Richardson said.
The Fire Department asked residents to avoid the area and allow first responders the space they need to work.
This is a developing story. For the latest updates, sign up for breaking news alerts.
©2025 Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Visit star-telegram.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.