Months after a fire tore through The Cooper apartment complex in Fort Worth, former resident Christina Engel has found herself in a tug-of-war over her belongings, which she says are largely intact despite earlier claims of extensive damage. According to a WFAA report, Engel climbed the fence surrounding the complex to inspect her apartment and found it undamaged, contrasting what property managers had told her.
Engel, who captured her discovery on her cell phone, noted that her bedroom appeared untouched, with "no smoke, no water damage. There's no mold," she said. Despite her unit being classified as a "red unit" due to alleged mold contamination, she now faces the limitation of being able to retrieve only four boxes of possessions. "How do I put my life, and my son's life, in a box. Four boxes?" she lamented in the WFAA interview.
However, not all was as it appeared. Several valuable items were missing from Engel's apartment, including a safe containing her gun and personal documents, along with two laptops. "God forbid something happens to them, I have nothing. I have nothing," she said regarding her two adult sons who serve in the military and the irreplaceable family mementos connected to them. Engel has now joined others in a lawsuit against the property, as reported by WFAA.
Adding to Engel's distress, the deadline for The Cooper's residents to release a construction company from liability for damage during the retrieval of belongings has arrived. Having filed a police report over the stolen items, Engel's concern extends to potential misuse of her missing gun. "What happens if my gun is used in a crime?" she asked in an interview with FOX 4.
In the meantime, The Cooper's ownership has remained silent, with RPM Living failing to respond to requests for comment, nor providing a report from their mold consultant. Engel, yearning for access to her apartment's contents, hired a drone operator only to find her apartment blinds closed, a stark contrast to the open blinds of her past daily routine. Engel's fight, a day before Thanksgiving, seeking access to possessions undisturbed by the blaze, continues without resolution.
