With parts of The Cooper Apartments still inaccessible, some say their pets perished in the fire that displaced 834 residents in Fort Worth.
FORT WORTH, Texas — Nearly a week after the six-alarm fire at The Cooper Apartments, Miriam Zarza and Manuel Hernandez have returned to the building. But they’re not searching for belongings or keepsakes.
They’re searching for their pets.
Last week, the Fort Worth Fire Department declared the fire accidental, but said it may have started in the HVAC system. The fire displaced 834 residents.
“The AC units were on top of our building, on top of our bedroom,” Miriam said.
The couple, recently engaged, lived on the fifth floor in apartment 1517. Their golden retriever mix, Rex, along with two cats, Gizmo and Saint, haven’t been seen since the fire. A haunting moment captured on their home surveillance camera shows Rex just before the power went out, more than 20 minutes after the fire was reported.
“It was around 2:06, Miriam said. “My dog was still alive. He would have barked. He would have told someone that they were in there.”
Three floors below them lived Shukriyyah Murphy, who also lost her dog, Proxy.
“When I got here, it looked like the fire was isolated to one area,” Murphy recalled. “[The apartment staff] were telling me, don’t panic, it’s not on your side of the building. Don’t worry, your dog should be fine.”
But the fire spread, and so did the heartbreak.
“They said your dog didn’t make it because your floors collapsed,” she was later told. “Proxy… that was my baby. My all in all. She’s all I had here with me.”
This weekend, management at The Cooper sent an email to residents, informing those in Building 1 that they would be allowed to create a list of essential items to retrieve on Monday and Tuesday during scheduled times. Employees would retrieve the belongings, as residents are not allowed inside the building. The message also listed 25 apartments that remain inaccessible, including Shukriyyah’s apartment and Miriam and Manuel’s apartment.
“It is considered a total loss at this point,” Miriam said of their apartment.
City of Fort Worth Code Compliance told WFAA there have been no failed inspections at the complex. However, records confirm another fire occurred at The Cooper in October 2024. That fire was contained to one unit, and the cause was not disclosed.
WFAA has reached out to The Cooper Apartments multiple times and has not received a response.
“Not getting any straight answers,” Manuel said.
“It’s very frustrating, very sad, very tragic,” Miriam said.
“I don’t ever want to feel this kind of pain again,” Murphy added. “I just have to try to move forward and try to create a new normal for myself.”