A fire at the Mariposa Park Apartments in Fort Worth displaced an estimated 100 residents on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026.
Amanda McCoy
FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM
On a late September afternoon, Mariposa Park Apartments in west Fort Worth was quiet, yet the blue tarp, failing roof and wire fence wrapped around the complex about the aftermath of a fire that tore it apart a month ago.
More than 30 fire units battled the three-alarm fire at 6701 Calmont Ave. on Aug. 25. Flames spread through the attic and roof of the two-story apartment building. A cause hasn’t been determined. Fifty-seven residents were displaced.
‘We have to start over and we have nothing’
“I was definitely startled,” said Daniel Smith, who lived at the complex for about a year and a half.
Smith, one of the second-floor tenants, said his downstairs neighbors knocked on his door to inform him that the complex was on fire when it was still dark outside. All he had time to get was his keys, wallet and driver’s license.
“I thought the building was going to explode,” Smith said. “The flames got pretty big. We watched the rest of the neighbors get across the street, and they finally got some water on it and put it out. That’s when the Red Cross came to our rescue and took us down to the community center down the street.”
Smith said about 75% of the apartment complex was destroyed.
Nakeia Bennet was asleep when a friend who was visiting woke her up and asked if she smelled smoke, she said.
“I ran to the window and door to see flames everywhere,” Bennett said. “We didn’t have time to grab anything because we were directly in it.”
Bennett’s unit was totaled and all her belongings were gone, including her father’s ashes. “That was the only thing I had left of my father,” she said with a heavy voice.
After a long time, things were finally coming together for Debra Hurley. She had a new 70-inch TV and another AC unit for her apartment.
“Everything was looking great and then after the fire, it all seemed to go to hell! I was displaced,” she said.
Tammy Blackburn woke up a little after 5 a.m. to use the restroom and noticed the orange glow in the windows. He knew right away it was a fire.
“I grabbed my mobility chair, my ID, and my shoes. When I opened my front door, the area upstairs right across from me was totally engulfed in flames,” she said.
The next day, when Smith and other residents went to get their belongings, the management would not let them go in despite clearance from the Fire Department, many residents who spoke with the Star-Telegram said. At the same time, residents say the property was looted.
“Some people had just moved in and paid all that money to Mariposa, only to have all their belongings burned up and destroyed,” Smith said. “I still have all my military records in there, my glasses, contacts, and dentures that I still need to get.”
Residents also expressed disappointment that the Mariposa management team and owners never reached out to offer condolences or ask if everyone was all right.
“You could see people walking down the street with buggies containing our property, but we couldn’t get our own belongings,” Bennett said.
Bennett asked management if displaced residents would be transferred to another apartment. Initially, the management worker said she did not know, and then Bennett never heard from them again, she said.
“We have to start over, and we have nothing,” Bennett said. “Some people are homeless because of this, staying in motels. It’s like we were thrown to the side.”
The Star-Telegram called, emailed and went in person to visit the management team, but did not receive a response.
Red Cross volunteers assisted about 40 residents and set up an overnight shelter at a community center. Residents said they received gift cards and had a few nights at motels covered through the organization.
“It’s not right how we were treated. We got $350 and were thrown to the side. How can we restart everything with $350?” Bennett added.
Hurley said her apartment sustained water damage and has mildew. People broke in after the fire and stole TVs and important papers, Hurlet said.
“I went in to see what I could salvage, only to find out they stole everything,” Hurley said. “They are not in the office and when you call, nobody answers.”
Joe Johnson shared similar frustrations.
“I was able to retrieve my birth certificate and a few papers, but the rest of my stuff is gone,” he said. “They fenced up the place. I’m scared to go in there because I don’t know if it will collapse.”
Johnson said he had no idea how to reach them.
“I call almost every day and get no answer. I’m just confused right now, especially by the way the apartment management acts,” he said.
Blackburn’s caseworker grabbed her important papers, tablet and medicine.
“It was so unsafe that they won’t let us back on the property, yet everything is coming up missing,” Blackburn said.
Residents did hear from the complex on Sept. 1: A reminder to pay rent. Some said they also received notices for late payments.
“I’m disappointed in them,” Blackburn said. “When I check the payment portal, they are saying I owe rent and late charges for September, even though the fire was in August.”
Fort Worth firefighters battle a fire at the Mariposa Park Apartments, at 6701 Calmont Ave. Glen E Ellman Fort Worth Fire Department 
A fire at the Mariposa Park Apartments in Fort Worth displaced an estimated 100 residents on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026. Amanda McCoy FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM Where does the insurance money go?
Residents displaced by a six-alarm fire at the Cooper apartments in Near Southside in June 2025 learned that the insurance they were paying as part of rent covered only or property damage that happened because of the tenants, or people visiting them, and did not cover personal property damage due to fires.
Mariposa residents face the same challenge. Each resident shared that they were required to pay a monthly fee for insurance; however, there was no clear communication from management regarding how that money was utilized.
Now residents are trying to come together and raise funds to hire an attorney to get answers from Mariposa.
New reality and uncertainties
Blackburn found her lost kitten two days after the fire. On Sept. 23, she said she finally signed a lease for a new place.
Others, like Vincent, who was hospitalized for smoke inhalation, face uncertainty. In an interview the same day, he shared that his funds were running low, and he might not have enough money to cover his motel stay much longer.
“If you were abiding by the law, you were taken advantage of,” Vincent said. “I’m in a room right now that runs out Sunday, and after that, I am facing a situation where I am without funds to pay anymore,” he said.
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Shambhavi covers crime, law enforcement and other breaking news in Fort Worth and Tarrant County. She graduated from the University of North Texas and previously covered a variety of general assignment topics in West Texas. She grew up in Nepal.