Fort Worth H‑E‑B aims to reopen after electrical blaze, drive‑through pharmacy stays open

Firefighters contain electrical blaze at North Fort Worth H‑E‑B; no reported injuries

Fort Worth emergency crews said an electrical fire that started Thursday night in the back of a large H‑E‑B on Heritage Trace Parkway forced a partial closure but caused no injuries. The incident prompted a multi‑alarm response and left the 128,000‑square‑foot grocery store filled with smoke, officials said.

Contractors working on refrigerant lines reported hearing a loud bang and then seeing flames just after 8 p.m., according to the Fort Worth Fire Department. Workers attempted to extinguish the blaze with portable extinguishers before firefighters arrived. An aggressive initial attack by first‑arriving crews, combined with the store’s fire suppression system, brought the fire under control in about 15 minutes, the department said.

• Location: H‑E‑B, Heritage Trace Parkway, far North Fort Worth
• Store size: 128,000 square feet
• Origin: Electrical fire in a meat case
• Response: Escalated to a three‑alarm incident
• Injuries: None reported

H‑E‑B confirmed the store hopes to reopen Saturday morning pending an early‑morning city inspection; the drive‑through pharmacy will remain open.

Although the fire damage was concentrated in a rear corner of the building, smoke permeated the entire store. Fire crews deployed large industrial fans to ventilate the space while H‑E‑B personnel began cleaning and removing affected products, company representatives and fire officials said. The store said the drive‑through pharmacy would continue operating during normal hours.

Local consequences and next steps

The temporary closure affects supply and access for shoppers in North Fort Worth, a growing residential corridor where a single large grocer can be a primary source of food and pharmacy services. H‑E‑B’s plan to keep the pharmacy functioning limits disruption for customers who need prescriptions, but residents may face reduced in‑store shopping options until the building clears the city inspection and restocking process.

Fort Worth fire officials escalated the call to three alarms largely because of the building’s size and the need to search for shoppers who might have been overcome by smoke. The quick containment helped prevent more extensive structural damage and limited product loss, officials said. Investigators have attributed the origin to an electrical fault in a meat case; the fire department will continue its follow‑up work with H‑E‑B and any contractors involved in the refrigeration work.

Why this matters for county and state emergency planning

Large commercial fires in single buildings present distinct challenges for Fort Worth and Tarrant County: rapid ventilation needs, coordinated multi‑unit fire responses and public safety communications to clear and account for customers. The incident underscores ongoing priorities for inspections of electrical systems and contractor safety practices in large retail operations across the region and state.

City and company officials said they will complete inspections and any necessary repairs before allowing full public access. For now, the pharmacy drive‑through will serve customers while the rest of the store undergoes cleaning and product evaluation.