A Fort Worth mother and her daughter escaped what’s believed to be lightning-sparked apartment fire Sunday.
TARRANT COUNTY, Texas — A powerful Sunday evening storm system brought heavy rain and dangerous lightning to North Texas, possibly igniting at least six fires across Tarrant County.
The fires started at about 3:30 p.m., including an apartment blaze in Fort Worth that damaged eight units and a fire at a Watauga nursing and rehabilitation facility that forced a full evacuation. No injuries were reported from any of the fires.
Henyi Coreas and her mother were recording a TikTok video outside their apartment in the 1200 block of Glen Garden Drive in Fort Worth when a lightning strike jolted them back inside.
“The smoke started to come out from both the vents,” Coreas said.
Moments later, their apartment was on fire. The two fled the building without time to gather their belongings.
“I lost my glasses. I can’t see right now,” Coreas said.
Fort Worth Fire Department officials confirmed crews responded to the Glen Garden Drive complex and that eight units were damaged. Residents gathered outside as firefighters worked, many uncertain of what they had lost inside.
FWFD officials said Sunday evening they had responded to about five working residential fires and one working apartment fire since about 3:30 p.m. Among them, five people were displaced from a fire in the 5800 block of Canyon Oaks Lane. Officials said they had not yet confirmed the official cause of any of the fires, though several callers reported to 911 that their homes had been struck by lightning.
Watauga nursing home evacuated
The storm’s reach extended to neighboring Watauga, where the Watauga Fire Department responded to a reported structure fire in the 7800 block of Virgil Anthony Boulevard at North Pointe Nursing and Rehabilitation at about 5:20 p.m.
Crews confirmed a working fire upon arrival. Residents were initially sheltered in place while firefighters worked to contain the blaze, according to a spokesperson with the city of Watauga. The fire was extinguished, and as a precaution, the facility was evacuated following the incident. No injuries were reported.
A broader concern
Back in Fort Worth, Coreas reflected on the wider threat posed by the continued storm activity across the region.
“With these ongoing storms, who knows how many lives will be affected by them,” she said.
Emergency management experts urge residents to stay weather-aware during active storm periods — monitoring forecasts and local alerts and calling 911 immediately if a home or structure is struck by lightning, even if no fire is immediately visible.