Friday nights at the mall are usually about movies, Auntie Anne’s pretzels, and killing time. But for shoppers at Fort Worth’s Hulen Mall on June 27, 2025, that routine turned into a scene straight out of an action movie. One minute, people were folding clothes at H&M. The next? A massive "boom" sent glass raining down from the ceiling.
Honestly, the hulen mall on fire situation could have been so much worse. We’re talking about a massive building packed with thousands of square feet of highly combustible stuff—polyester shirts, plastic hangers, and packaging. When the smoke started billowing from the second floor near the Macy’s wing, the panic was instant.
The Night Hulen Mall Caught Fire
It was roughly 7:14 p.m. when the first calls hit the Fort Worth Fire Department dispatch.
What started as a standard response quickly escalated. Within minutes, it was a two-alarm fire. Then a three-alarm. That means over 60 firefighters were on the scene, hauling hoses through the corridors while thousands of people scrambled for the exits.
The sounds were the scariest part. Witnesses described hearing what sounded like explosions. Because of how loud the bangs were, some people actually thought there was a shooting or a bomb. It turns out, those "explosions" were actually the massive glass skylights on the roof shattering and crashing to the floor below due to the intense heat.
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Guadalupe Morales, who was inside at the time, told local reporters that as soon as that glass hit the bottom floor, everyone just started sprinting. It was pure chaos. People left their purses on tables at Red Robin. Employees ran out without their phones.
Why did the roof ignite?
The fire was eventually contained to the roof and the "void" space between the ceiling and the exterior. Interestingly, there had been roofing crews working on the building earlier that same day. While the Fort Worth Fire Department Arson Unit technically investigates these things as a matter of course, the general consensus was that it was a total accident, likely linked to those repairs.
By 8:10 p.m., the "fast stop" by the FWFD had the flames under control.
Aftermath and the Damage Done
The fire didn't just burn; it soaked. While the flames stayed on the roof, the effort to put them out meant a lot of water moved through the building.
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- Four stores suffered major water damage.
- The Macy’s wing took the brunt of the impact.
- The glass skylights left a massive mess on the second-level flooring.
Remarkably, only one person was taken to the hospital, and their injuries weren't life-threatening. By the following Sunday, the mall was mostly back to normal, though the area near the fire remained roped off for a while.
It's happened before
If you’ve lived in Fort Worth long enough, you might remember this isn't the first time fire crews had to rush to 4800 South Hulen Street. Back in 2018, there was a scary arson incident involving flammable substances inside the Dillard’s and Sears. That one involved the FBI.
Compared to that, the 2025 fire was a construction mishap, but for the people sprinting toward the parking lot, the fear was exactly the same.
What to Do if You Were Affected
If you were one of the people who dropped your belongings and ran, or if you work at one of the affected stores, there are still a few things to keep in mind regarding your safety and property.
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Check for smoke damage. Even if your favorite store didn't burn, smoke can linger in fabrics. If you bought something right before the evacuation, check it for odors. Most retailers were very cool about returns and exchanges in the weeks following the fire.
Stay clear of the Macy’s wing repairs. Even months later, structural assessments of the roof and skylights are ongoing. Don't go poking around construction barriers; they are there because heavy glass and roofing materials are still being moved around.
Review your own business's fire plan. If you work in retail at Hulen or nearby at the Shops at Clearfork, use this as a wake-up call. Know where your nearest exit is. In this case, the workers who knew the back hallways were the ones who got out the fastest and helped others find the way.
The mall is a community hub. Seeing smoke pouring out of it on social media was a gut punch for the neighborhood, but the quick response from the Fort Worth FD saved the building from being a total loss.