Efforts to put out Fort Worth apartment fire hindered by people driving over water hoses

FORT WORTH, Texas - Several apartments were damaged after a major fire at a complex in Fort Worth Friday night.

It took dozens of firefighters to get the fire under control, and they're blaming problems with access to water.

Six affected tenants at the Flats on Mill apartment complex are relocating to other units, office management told FOX 4.

There are no reported injuries from the Friday night fire, which fire officials say is quite fortunate — all things considered.

"There was a partial collapse that night of some of the roof," said Craig Trojacek with the Fort Worth Fire Department. "We had some of the traffic that was here running over those hoses and causing them to bust."

Fire officials say the quick-moving fire progressed to two alarms mainly because efforts were hindered to bring additional water from hydrants across from the complex.

"We had to stop and rethink our strategy and bring water in, bring in some new hoses," Trojacek said. "That time was kind of dead for us to put water on the fire. We had to go back, and the fire continued to spread."

It took firefighters roughly an hour to gain control of the flames, leaving eight units with considerable damage. Two of them were vacant.

The investigation into what started the fire is ongoing as is a public plea to motorists driving in the area of any active fire scene. 

"One thing I would ask the public to do: if you ever show up on a fire scene or you’re close, see firetrucks, and you see those big hoses going across the roads, please, please do not run those over," Trojacek pleaded. "Those supply our people that are inside. Those are our lifelines. We might be in there to try to rescue your family, and the last thing we want to do is to lose that water to keep ourselves and be able to push further into that building and find families."

Fire officials say if you encounter hoses stretched across a roadway, carefully turn around and find an alternate route.