Fire engulfs vacant Fort Worth elementary school

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Published  September 24, 2025 10:07am CDT
FOX 4

S.S. Dillow Elementary School fire in Fort Worth (Source: Glen E. Ellman with the Fort Worth Fire Department)

The Brief

    • A large fire engulfed a vacant building on Fort Worth's east side that was once the S.S. Dillow Elementary School.
    • More than 80 firefighters and 18 trucks responded to the two-alarm fire, eventually fighting the blaze from outside the building.
    • No injuries were reported, and the cause of the fire is currently under investigation.

FORT WORTH, Texas - It took more than 80 Fort Worth firefighters more than two and a half hours early Wednesday morning to bring a fire under control at the vacant S.S. Dillow Elementary School on Ave. N. in east Fort Worth.

S.S. Dillow Elementary School Fire

What we know:

The fire was reported shortly after midnight to the 4000 block of Ave. N.

When crews arrived on scene, they found fire on the first floor and heavy smoke coming from the tiled roof.

The first crews started fighting the fire from inside, and searched the building to make sure it was vacant.

The fire had already spread up the walls and was coming through the roof of the building, fire officials stated.

S.S. Dillow Elementary School fire in Fort Worth (Source: Glen E. Ellman with the Fort Worth Fire Department)
S.S. Dillow Elementary School fire in Fort Worth (Source: Glen E. Ellman with the Fort Worth Fire Department)
S.S. Dillow Elementary School fire in Fort Worth (Source: Glen E. Ellman with the Fort Worth Fire Department)
S.S. Dillow Elementary School fire in Fort Worth (Source: Glen E. Ellman with the Fort Worth Fire Department)
S.S. Dillow Elementary School fire in Fort Worth (Source: Glen E. Ellman with the Fort Worth Fire Department)
S.S. Dillow Elementary School fire in Fort Worth (Source: Glen E. Ellman with the Fort Worth Fire Department)
S.S. Dillow Elementary School fire in Fort Worth (Source: Glen E. Ellman with the Fort Worth Fire Department)
S.S. Dillow Elementary School fire in Fort Worth (Source: Glen E. Ellman with the Fort Worth Fire Department)
S.S. Dillow Elementary School fire in Fort Worth (Source: Glen E. Ellman with the Fort Worth Fire Department)
S.S. Dillow Elementary School fire in Fort Worth (Source: Glen E. Ellman with the Fort Worth Fire Department)
S.S. Dillow Elementary School fire in Fort Worth (Source: Glen E. Ellman with the Fort Worth Fire Department)
S.S. Dillow Elementary School fire in Fort Worth (Source: Glen E. Ellman with the Fort Worth Fire Department)
S.S. Dillow Elementary School fire in Fort Worth (Source: Glen E. Ellman with the Fort Worth Fire Department)

A second alarm was called due to the size of the structure and the spreading fire.

There were more than 80 firefighters, 18 trucks and multiple support vehicles on scene.

The incident commander on scene decided to pull everyone out of the building and changed to a defensive strategy to beat back the fire. Three aerial ladder trucks were then used to battle the fire. 

There were no injuries reported.

What we don't know:

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

The Source: Information in this article is from the Fort Worth Fire Department. Photos are by Glen E. Ellman with the Fort Worth Fire Department.

Fort Worth