Early morning fire displaces 16 families at apartment complex, cause under investigation

By LYNETTE SOWELL

Cove Leader-Press

A 24-unit apartment complex at Willow Creek Apartments was heavily damaged by an early morning fire on Thursday.

Copperas Cove Fire Chief Gary Young said that the call came in around 6:29 Thursday morning and that Copperas Cove police assisted in evacuating residents from the complex prior to fire department personnel arriving on the scene. Additionally, two other units adjacent to the one on fire were evacuated.

“We immediately requested assistance from Fort Cavazos, which sent a ladder truck and a fire engine, per our request, to help us out with the fire,” Young said.

“The cause of the fire right now is under investigation. We have called in our fire investigator as well as the Central Texas Arson Task Force. I am not implying that it's an arson fire. That's just what they're called,” Young clarified. “They investigate fires, whether accidental or arson; that’s their job and they make that determination.”

Young said that the majority of the apartment units affected by fire were occupied, and to the department’s knowledge, everyone was evacuated and there were no injuries that they were aware of as of Thursday morning.

Young expects that the department will be on the scene until at least sundown Thursday to clear the area.

“It’s a 24-plex, so that’s a lot of square feet, two story, 12-up and 12-down. That’s a whole lot of square feet to try to go through and verify and make sure that the fire is out and that everybody is accounted for.”