Red Cross volunteers have assisted about 40 displaced residents and set up an overnight shelter at a Fort Worth community center after a fire destroyed much of an apartment complex Tuesday morning.
The three-alarm fire at the Mariposa Park Apartments on the city’s west side left an estimated 50 to 100 people without homes and took 30 units of fire equipment to extinguish, officials with the Fort Worth Fire Department said. Since then, volunteers have been at the R.D. Evans Community Center setting up cots and distributing meals to those affected, Red Cross spokesperson Marcela Fajardo said.
“We are open and welcoming everyone, and our hearts go out to the families,” Fajardo said.
At the center Tuesday afternoon, about a dozen residents gathered with pets and assorted belongings as a team of volunteers worked to set up a dormitory in the center’s gymnasium. Some slept on the floors, others circulated in and out of the air conditioning, and a few children played and ate.
One resident, Alfred Roundtree, sat outside smoking a cigarette. Roundtree’s apartment was close to the one where the fire started, he said, and he hasn’t gone back to the complex to survey the damage or retrieve any belongings that may have survived the fire. Still, he says he isn’t worried.
“Worried about what?” Roundtree said. “Once you realize God is in control of everything, he will never leave you or forsake you, it makes life a whole lot easier.”
A fire at the Mariposa Park Apartments in Fort Worth displaced an estimated 50 to 100 residents on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026.
Residents needing overnight shelter will be housed at the center Tuesday night, and further arrangements will be determined on a day-to-day basis, Fajardo said.
At the complex, which is located around the corner from the center, smoke detectors could still be heard beeping from inside the collapsed structure late Tuesday afternoon. Code enforcement was working to cordon off the apartments and secure the remaining entrances.
The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.
Community members wishing to help impacted residents are encouraged to donate money to the Red Cross at redcross.org/donate, to volunteer, or to donate blood, Fajardo said. The City of Fort Worth is also working with the aid organization to help meet residents’ needs.
A fire at the Mariposa Park Apartments in Fort Worth displaced an estimated 50 to 100 residents on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026.
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