Fire at Copperwood senior apartment complex

THE WOODLANDS, Texas -- The Woodlands Fire Department responded to a fire alarm on Sunday, December 23, just after 4 p.m., at the Copperwood Apartments, a senior apartment living complex located at 4407 South Panther Creek.

According to Jerry Layton, a 4-year resident at Copperwood, the close proximity of The Woodlands Fire Department’s Fire Station 8, located at 11800 Gosling Road, resulted in an almost immediate response time.

“The fire trucks were here in just a couple of minutes,” said Layton. “Some trucks came from the other fire station on Gosling too. There must have been seven or eight trucks here.”

Residents were evacuated from the 3-story building consisting of 150 units, while firefighters tried to locate the origin of the fire. The fire was located on the ground floor where cooking food had been left unattended by a resident.

“Fortunately the complex has all he necessary alarm systems,” said Layton. “The resident who accidentally caused the fire is on oxygen.”

A second alarm summoned EMS ambulances to the scene to transport the resident where the fire took place, and three other residents, to area hospitals for smoke inhalation. The second and third floor residents were able to return to their apartments but the first floor was mostly uninhabitable, requiring residents to be relocated.

In 2006, a fire at the Copperwood Apartments completely destroyed one structure of apartments, causing one death and numerous injuries. According to Layton and resident, Brenda Clark, the fire department’s quick response and containment of the fire, was responsible for the low incidence of residents requiring medical attention and minimized the loss of property.