Flames broke through the upper floors of a Fort Worth office building Monday night as firefighters rushed to contain a multi-alarm blaze near Hulen Mall.
Fort Worth firefighters were called shortly after 8:20 p.m. on January 19 to a fire at a six-story high-rise at 4200 South Hulen Street, a long-standing landmark formerly known as the Overton Park Bank Building.
Fire crews from across the city responded as flames were visible from the top floors, according to officials with the Fort Worth Fire Department, reported by WFAA.
Video obtained by The Dallas Express shows multiple fire engines and at least one ladder truck converging on the scene as crews worked to access the upper levels of the building. An image captured during the response shows flames pushing through two windows on the top floor, illuminating the night sky as firefighters positioned hoses and aerial equipment.
More than two dozen fire units reportedly responded, and the incident was initially classified as a two-alarm fire before being upgraded to a three-alarm response to bring in additional manpower, Craig Trojacek, a spokesperson for the Fort Worth Fire Department, told The Dallas Express.
Trojacek said no injuries were reported.
Firefighters had the flames under control shortly after 9 p.m., according to officials, though crews remained inside the building for hours afterward to ensure the fire was fully extinguished and to check for hot spots. Investigators were working to gain full access to the commercial property to determine the cause of the fire, per Trojacek.
The building, commonly referred to as the old Overton building, has been a recognizable feature of the South Hulen area for decades.
Constructed in 1981 for Overton Park National Bank, the structure is notable for its modern form and a six-story, centrally located atrium, designed into the building from its inception, according to the Fort Worth Architecture website. It later became a Frost Bank location before being rebranded as the 4200 South Hulen Office Building.
The building contains roughly 130,000 square feet of office space and was designed by the Fort Worth-based firm Geren Associates, according to architectural records reported by The Business Press. Its design reportedly earned recognition from the Fort Worth chapter of the American Institute of Architects upon opening.
The property underwent a $3 million renovation completed in 2019, which updated the lobby, common areas, and lower-floor office spaces after Frost Bank relocated many of its operations to downtown Fort Worth, The Business Press reported. At the time, ownership said the building was about 78 percent occupied and home to dozens of tenants employing several hundred people.
Officials did not immediately say whether the fire was contained to a specific floor or how much damage was sustained. Fire department investigators reportedly said the cause of the blaze remained under investigation late Monday night.
Details about potential impacts on tenants or the building’s structural integrity were not immediately available.