A lawsuit has been filed over the massive fire that tore through the Cooper Apartments in Fort Worth in June.
Filed on Wednesday, the suit comes from 49 of the hundreds of residents displaced by the blaze.
“It’s a little surreal. It’s a little bizarre. Some days I wake up and I forget everything that’s happened,” said Alexandrea Carrera.
Six weeks after the flames forced her and others out, Carrera said a few items retrieved by someone from a list she wrote are likely all she’ll recover from her home.
“You have the material things like a couch, a bed, you can replace those things. But the sentimental items, those are the things that keep me up at night that I know I’m never going to get back,” she said.
The lawsuit names the apartment complex along with its current and former ownership groups. While some residents were allowed back in to collect belongings, others—like Matthew Plant—say they’ve been denied access.
According to the lawsuit, management told them their items were contaminated by “toxic materials.”
“They’re like, we’ve had these evaluations, but we’re not going to say specifically what’s wrong with your unit. We’re not going to say if we’re concerned it’s this type of mold or moving furniture is going to cause collapses. It’s all very generalized template stuff,” said Plant.
“These people did not cause what has happened to them. They have been displaced and made homeless, and a lot of people have lost everything that they own and possess, and at this point, we just want them to pay for what happened and have some sort of accountability,” said attorney Katie Steele.
Steele represents the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, which also names Cano Electric, whose employee was allegedly conducting an HVAC repair at the complex when the fire broke out.
Cano Electric did not immediately respond to NBC 5’s request for comment.
A spokesperson for The Cooper said, “We are reviewing the allegations in the lawsuit and are unable to comment.”
The displaced residents say they’re seeking more than just compensation—they want accountability.
“I have nothing and I don’t really know where to go, and this would be the only sort of resolution I would be able to find in my life personally,” said Carrera.
Great Job Allie Spillyards & the Team @ NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth Source link for sharing this story.
