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Explosion at historic Texas hotel injures 21, scatters debris in downtown Fort Worth

An explosion at a historic Texas hotel in Fort Worth on Monday blew out windows, littered downtown streets with large sections of debris from the building and injured 21 people, including one who was in critical condition, authorities said.

Quick Read

  • Explosion at Texas Hotel: Historic Sandman Signature Hotel in Fort Worth experienced a major explosion.
  • Injuries Reported: 21 people injured, one critically; 15 taken to hospitals.
  • Search Continues: Rescue crews still searching the building; no reports of missing persons.
  • Occupancy at Time of Blast: Over two dozen rooms were occupied at the hotel.
  • Suspected Gas Leak Cause: Authorities believe a gas leak caused the explosion during hotel construction.
  • Witness Accounts: Witnesses reported seeing debris, insulation, and office furniture blown onto the street.
  • Busy Downtown Area: Hotel located near the Fort Worth Convention Center; area covered in debris.
  • Uncertain Blast Location: Possible connection to construction at a restaurant in the building.
  • Evacuations and Reactions: Nearby buildings evacuated; witnesses describe seeing injured people and smelling gas.
  • Investigation Underway: Fort Worth Fire Department and federal investigators working to determine the cause.
  • Atmos Energy Involvement: Technicians examining the blast site; Railroad Commission of Texas inspector also on the scene.
  • Hotel Ownership Statement: Northland Properties Co. working to determine the cause and extent of the damage.
  • Hotel’s Historic Significance: Built in 1920, named after William Thomas Waggoner, listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Associated Press has the story:

Explosion at historic Texas hotel injures 21, scatters debris in downtown Fort Worth

Newslooks- FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) —

An explosion at a historic Texas hotel in Fort Worth on Monday blew out windows, littered downtown streets with large sections of debris from the building and injured 21 people, including one who was in critical condition, authorities said.

First responders work the scene after an explosion at the Sandman Signature hotel, Monday, Jan. 8, 2024, in Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

The blast flung doors and entire sections of wall onto the road in front of the 20-story hotel, where authorities said rescue crews found several people trapped in the basement. Fifteen people were taken to hospitals, including six whose conditions were described as “semi-critical” by MedStar, which provides ambulances and emergency medical services in Fort Worth.

Damage, top left, is seen as firefighters exit the Sandman Signature hotel following an explosion earlier in the day, Monday, Jan. 8, 2024, in Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Authorities did not indicate anyone was missing but fire officials said late Monday that they would continue searching the building.

More than two dozen rooms were occupied at the Sandman Signature Hotel at the time, officials said. Authorities said they believe a gas leak caused the explosion — which happened in the middle of the afternoon at the start of the workweek — and said the hotel had been undergoing construction.

Atmos Energy employees investigate the scene of an explosion at the Sandman Signature hotel in downtown Fort Worth, Texas, Monday, Jan. 8, 2024. (Amanda McCoy/Star-Telegram via AP)

“There was debris. There was insulation. There was office furniture,” Charlie Collier, 31, told The Associated Press. He was working nearby when he said he saw a large flash and what sounded like thunder.

“Everything that was in the first couple floors of the building was blown out all over the street,” he said.

An official surveys an area near the back entrance to the Sandman Signature hotel following an explosion, Monday, Jan. 8, 2024, in Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

The Sandman Signature Hotel is in a busy area of downtown about one block from the Fort Worth Convention Center. Footage from news helicopters showed firefighters picking their way through the piles of drywall, shattered glass and mangled metal that coated the street outside the hotel. Authorities urged people to avoid the area.

Officials survey an area near the Sandman Signature hotel following an explosion, Monday, Jan. 8, 2024, in Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Craig Trojacek, a spokesman for the Fort Worth Fire Department, said a restaurant in the building had been under construction but said it was not definitive that is where the blast occurred.

A damaged vehicle is seen in the parking lot of the Sandman Signature hotel following an explosion, Monday, Jan. 8, 2024, in Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Rebecca Martinez was among those in nearby buildings who recalled hearing a loud crack and seeing a wall of dust and debris sweep through the city streets. Stepping outside to see what happened, she came upon a man and a woman leaned up against a fire hydrant.

“The man was all bloody, his face was all bloody,” Martinez said. “Then I started smelling natural gas, real intense and I thought, ‘I might need to get away from here.’”

An official surveys an area near the back entrance to the Sandman Signature hotel following an explosion, Monday, Jan. 8, 2024, in Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Moments later, she said, authorities evacuated her building and some of the surrounding neighborhood.

Investigators survey an area near the Sandman Signature hotel following an explosion, Monday, Jan. 8, 2024, in Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)

Paula Snider, a delivery driver for UPS, was doing a pickup nearby when she said she heard a large boom and saw a puff of black smoke. A large piece of metal grating landed under her truck and another dropped nearby.

“I jumped out and took off running,” she said.

First responders work the scene after an explosion at the Sandman Signature hotel on Monday, Jan. 8, 2024, in Fort Worth, Texas. (Cameron Arnold via AP)

A grey haze covered normally busy streets of downtown Fort Worth as firefighters walked through layers of debris. Remnants of the building lay scattered across the street and over parked vehicles, and gaping holes could be seen on the ground.

First responders work the scene after an explosion at the Sandman Signature hotel on Monday, Jan. 8, 2024, in Fort Worth, Texas. (Cameron Arnold via AP)

Trojacek said investigators were working with federal investigators to determine the cause of the blast. The scene had left rescue teams unable to immediately reach some parts of the building.

“We had reports of people trapped down in the basement, and because of the explosion that took place, some of those access areas were either covered up or it didn’t feel safe at that point to get people down into,” Trojacek said.

Firefighters work the scene after an explosion at the Sandman Signature hotel on Monday, Jan. 8, 2024, in Fort Worth, Texas. (Kathy Johnson/Special to the Star-Telegram via AP)

Technicians from Atmos Energy, a Dallas-based natural gas distributor, were examining the blast site Monday. A spokesperson for the Railroad Commission of Texas, the state’s oil and gas regulator, said an agency inspector was also on the scene and working with local authorities.

First responders work the scene after an explosion at the Sandman Signature hotel on Monday, Jan. 8, 2024, in Fort Worth, Texas. (Cameron Arnold via AP)

Northland Properties Co., the Canadian company that owns the hotel, said in a statement that it was working with officials to determine how the explosion occurred and how much damage it caused.

Firefighters work the scene after an explosion at the Sandman Signature hotel on Monday, Jan. 8, 2024, in Fort Worth, Texas. (Kathy Johnson/Special to the Star-Telegram via AP)

“The safety and well-being of our team members and guests is our priority,” the company said. “We are working with those who have been injured to fully support them at this time.”

Debris is seen outside the Sandman Signature hotel on Houston Street in downtown Fort Worth, Texas, after an explosion, Monday, Jan. 8, 2024. (Amanda McCoy/Star-Telegram via AP)

According to the hotel website, the Sandman Signature Fort Worth Downtown Hotel has 245 rooms and was built in 1920 as the “Waggoner Building,” named after cattle rancher and oilman William Thomas Waggoner. The building has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1979.

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