Defective warning siren echoes in downtown Forth Worth, alarms residents

Fort Worth residents were left feeling uneasy Wednesday night after unidentifiable, loud warnings echoed through the city's downtown area.

The sound was reportedly heard near Tarrant County College, occurring intermittently from 7 to 11 p.m., according to a local social media user.

A video on TikTok showed the sound echoing near a residential complex. Most of the words in the announcement were muffled, except its clear mention of an "emergency."

"Any word on what is going on? My brother lives in those same apartments, he called me concerned about it," a user commented.

The user who captured the video said in a subsequent comment, "Called the police and they had no idea as well."

The Fort Worth Office of Emergency Management (FWOEM) announced in a social media post on Wednesday they would be doing an audible test of the Fort Worth Outdoor Warning Sirens at 1 p.m. for 90 seconds.

The post caused increased confusion among residents who heard the siren in the evening, some of whom expressed preexisting worries involving post-election violence.

"Maybe shouldn't do this the day after the apocalyptic presidential election?" a user commented on the post. "Dems already have enough anxiety."

A spokesperson for the FWOEM told LoneStarLive.com that the siren is owned by Tarrant County College, but it includes the FWOEM Outdoor Warning System. The siren was announcing a false Winter Weather Alert from the roof of one of the college's buildings.

"It had a defective logic board that was not replaced for a long time, which included a voice card...None of our sirens in the Fort Worth Outdoor Warning System have a voice card," the spokesperson said. "But this one contained one and it was defective, and that's the reason it went off yesterday."

Last night, the FWOEM's software was not able to identify the siren that was going off, barring their ability to stop the sound, the spokesperson said. The siren is now in rotation for maintenance.

"We do definitely apologize on behalf of the city of Fort Worth for the inconvenience," the spokesperson said. "The issue has been addressed and hopefully, it won't happen again."