FORT WORTH, Texas – Residents impacted by the massive Fort Worth apartment fire back in June are still working to get their important belongings back.
And now, at least one resident said some of her precious items have been stolen.
Fort Worth Apartment Fire 
What’s new:
Wednesday is the deadline for The Cooper’s residents to sign a waiver releasing a construction company from liability if there is damage to the small amount of belongings they are allowed to retrieve for residents.
Resident Christina Engel said she is worried that if she signs it, workers won’t be able to find the things she is really looking for – mementos that belong to her two sons who are in the military. And then they will have the right to throw the rest of her things away.
“I couldn’t tell you which container is which. It would be easier for me to go in. Let me go in,” she argued. “That building is not falling down, and it is not full of mold. Have a moral compass. Have some compassion.”
What they’re saying:
Engel said she never could have predicted just how long it would take to get her belongings after major fire that broke out at The Cooper back on June 23.
“I work remote. And so, I was in my apartment when the smoke alarms started going off,” she said.
She saw all the hall fire doors closed.
“I thought, okay, this is real. I grabbed my purse and car keys, and walked out,” she said.
Now, the day before Thanksgiving, Engel and others who said their apartments were not damaged in the fire are still fighting to be allowed inside.
Wanting to get a glimpse inside her apartment, Engel hired a drone operator.
“Every day I open my blinds. I was like, I know they’re open. I just want to see inside. I want to be able to see. And when he got up there, they had closed my blinds,” she said.
She recently decided to check on her apartment herself.
“I took the initiative. It was at night. They don’t have much security, obviously, because they are not protecting our stuff. And I got in and took videos of it. My entire apartment is intact. There not water damage. There’s no smoke damage. There’s nothing. The shirt that I slept in is folded and still on my bed,” she said.
But some things had been stolen.
“My safe, which has my gun, passport, credit cards, birth certificate, title to my car, that’s gone,” she said.
Engel filed a police report.
“What happens if my gun is used in a crime?” she asked.
In the dark, Engel was unable to retrieve what is most important to her.
“I have things in there for my two sons. Both my sons are military. They’re both officers. All their pictures that I have, the Christmas ornaments they made when they were in school, their accomplishments. Things that no money is going to fix or replace,” she said trying to hold back tears.
The other side:
The owner of The Cooper, RPM Living, did not respond to FOX 4’s calls or emails requesting a comment.
The company has also still not provided residents with a report from its mold consultant.
The Source: FOX 4’s Lori Brown gathered information for this story by interviewing The Cooper resident Christina Engel and contacting the building’s owner. Other details are from past news coverage.