Fort Worth house fire at McCart Avenue kills one child, injures several; arson team investigating

This morning at about 3:05 a.m., Fort Worth firefighters began receiving calls about a house fire on the 4200 block of McCart Avenue, and first units arrived within about four minutes, Fort Worth Fire Department public information officer Craig Trojacek said.

"This morning about 3:05, we started receiving calls of a house on fire on the 4200 block of McCart Avenue," Trojacek said. He told reporters crews saw heavy fire coming from the front and side of the house and entered the structure to conduct rescues.

Tro jacek said crews "pulled out four different individuals. So, we've got one confirmed fatality here on scene." He identified the fatality as a school‑aged child. Two additional school‑aged children were flown by CareFlight, and another school‑aged child was taken by ground ambulance, he said. Trojacek cautioned that some counts remained preliminary and that he did not yet have full confirmation on whether all victims were members of the same household.

When asked about the presence of arson investigators, Trojacek said their response was routine for fires without an obvious cause. "Arson investigators are on scene. That's that's preliminary. That's our policy. Anytime there's a fire that is not obviously known ... arson's always called to the scene so they can figure out if there's anything criminal in nature," he said, adding that their presence does not necessarily indicate suspicion in this case.

Tro jacek said no firefighter injuries had been reported. He described multiple calls reporting the fire and said some reports may have come from people inside the home, neighbors or passersby. From dispatch time to arrival of the first units, he said, response time was "under 4 minutes."

The fire was placed under control, but crews remained on scene to move debris and allow investigators to determine the origin and cause. Trojacek said the department completed primary and secondary searches and would avoid drenching the house until investigators could examine the scene so as not to wash away potential evidence.

Tro jacek described the scene as difficult for firefighters when children are involved and said mental‑health resources and chaplains would be made available to crews. He estimated roughly 50 to 60 firefighters and EMS personnel were on scene to support firefighting, rescues and patient care.

Trojacek said two critically injured individuals were pulled from the home by firefighters and reiterated that some victims were already outside when crews arrived. He said investigators and crews would remain on scene for an extended period while the cause of the fire is investigated. Authorities did not provide further details on the identities of victims or on whether any criminal determination had been made.