Dive Brief:
- A fire broke out Friday night at an apartment building that is part of the $1 billion mixed-use Sapphire Bay project under construction in Rowlett, Texas, near Lake Ray Hubbard, NBC5 reported.
- Crews responded to the fire around 8:30 p.m. Because the apartments were empty, no one was hurt, but it also meant there was no one to contact authorities. The extent of the damage is not yet clear.
- Eventually, motorists saw the fire and contacted the Rowlett Fire Department. After burning for more than a day, the fire was contained, a spokesperson for the Rowlett FD said on Monday. Crews have yet to determine a cause, but an investigation is forthcoming, the spokesperson said.
Dive Insight:
When complete, Sapphire Bay will encompass over 116 acres. Amenities planned for the project include:
- Aquatic attractions, parks and trails.
- 177,000 square feet of restaurants.
- 875,000 square feet of office space.
- 250,000 square feet of retail.
- 750 hotel rooms.
- 140 townhomes.
- 1,200 multifamily residences.
- Over 300 condos.
The affected building, under development by Dallas-based Zale Properties Inc., had not yet opened, but had targeted move-in for mid-January, NBC5 reported. Construction Dive reached out to Zale Properties, but did not hear back by the time of publication.
Sapphire Bay is not the only recent fire emergency on a multifamily construction project.
In the last week, two fires broke out at multifamily construction sites in Aurora, Colorado, per Aurora Fire Rescue’s social media account. A fire destroyed five units at the Alta Addison apartment development on Dec. 14, before crews put it out.
Then, on Saturday, a fire broke out at Grubb Properties’ Link Apartments Fitz at E. Colfax Avenue and Peoria Street, about a 20-minute drive from the Alta Addison project. Grubb Properties released a statement thanking first responders, noting that there were no injuries at the 405-unit community that is currently under construction.
Though Aurora Fire Rescue said it has no reason to believe the two fires are linked, it is investigating the Alta Addison jobsite fire as a potential criminal act, CBS Colorado reported.