A mother and her 17-year-old daughter are dead after a fire tore through an apartment unit in Sherwood overnight. Sherwood police officers responded to the 9000 block of Brockington Road at 12:50 a.m. Tuesday and began evacuating residents.
The two victims were recovered from inside their unit at Longstreth Apartments, according to KATV, which reported that Sherwood police identified the dead as an adult woman and a 17-year-old female juvenile found at the scene. Neighbors and local news outlets identified the pair as a mother and her teenage daughter, according to THV11.
Police Began Evacuating Residents
Officers responded to the scene and began evacuating residents. Authorities have described the investigation into the fire as active and ongoing, and the Sherwood Police Department Criminal Investigation Division is asking anyone with information to call 501-835-1425.
Arkansas Code § 12-13-111 assigns state police deputies a role in fire investigations, according to Justia Law. The City of Rogers has a fire-investigation policy for its own department, according to documentation from the City of Rogers.
An Aging Complex in a Department Stretched Across 22 Square Miles
Longstreth Apartments, at 9000 Brockington Road, was built in 1981 and comprises 78 residential units across a two-story layout, according to property records from Apartment Finder. The Sherwood Fire Department operates four stations staffed by 60 personnel, covering a population of more than 33,000 residents across 22 square miles of Pulaski County, according to the Sherwood Fire Department.
This is not the first time Sherwood crews have confronted a major fire at a multi-unit apartment complex. In September 2024, responders battled a large blaze at the New Brittany Apartments near Highway 107 that damaged several units and displaced multiple families, the same station previously reported.
Smoke Alarms Remain a Statewide Concern
The tragedy also lands amid a troubling statewide pattern. In May, the Arkansas State Fire Marshal's Office reported a surge in fatal residential fires across the state, noting that only two of 26 fatal fire structures investigated through late May were confirmed to have had working smoke alarms, according to Jonesboro Right Now. Whether a working smoke detector was present inside the Longstreth unit has not been disclosed.
The official cause and origin of the Sherwood fire remain under investigation.
