At least 21 hurt in massive explosion at Fort Worth downtown hotel; gas suspected

An explosion in the basement of the Sandman Signature Hotel in downtown Fort Worth on Monday blew out windows and walls on the first and second floors of the 20-story hotel, sending debris into the streets. Multiple people were injured, with 21 hospitalized or treated on scene, according to the fire department and MedStar.

The explosion at the historic Waggoner Building at 810 Houston St. rocked downtown shortly after 3:30 p.m. Debris including drywall, wood, insulation, glass and metal was scattered hundreds of feet around the front of the building and out the rear toward Throckmorton Street. The Sandman Signature Hotel opened less than a year ago and includes a basement level restaurant, where the explosion is believed to have occurred.

Authorities were assessing the structural integrity of the 102-year-old tower.

A Fort Worth Fire Department spokesperson said at news conference Monday evening that “this was some type of gas explosion” but the exact cause remains under investigation with the assistance of the arson unit, ATF and FBI. There was a strong smell of natural gas in the area, but it was initially unknown whether the gas leak was the cause or happened as a result of the explosion. Technicians with the gas company, Atmos Energy, were also on the scene assisting.

“Gas has been isolated to the affected area, and we will continue to assist the Fort Worth Fire and Police Departments and all officials in support of their investigation,” an Atmos spokesperson wrote in response to a reporter’s question about the company’s efforts.

Of the known injured, 14 were transported to hospitals, with one person in critical condition and four in serious condition, while the others had minor injuries and one person self-transported to the hospital, authorities said. Firefighters rescued people who were trapped in the basement and from some of the 26 rooms that were occupied in the hotel. A person who was initially reported missing was found alive.

Four patients were taken to JPS Health Network’s hospital for treatment following the explosion, hospital spokesperson Jessica Virnoche said in an email Monday afternoon. Information about those patients’ condition was not immediately available.

The explosion appeared to be in the kitchen of Musume restaurant, according to Josè Mira, 49, of Dallas, who works there. Mira was covered in dust and had a cut on his arm. He said he had to climb out of the rubble.

“Everything fell, the walls, the floor, everything,” he said. “It’s a miracle I’m alive.”

The fire department shut down streets and buildings in a two-block radius as firefighters searched for any more injured people and investigated the “mass casualty incident.” The immediate concerns were search and rescue efforts and extinguishing the fire, which was out Monday evening. A secondary search was underway after smoke was cleared, and experts were beginning to evaluate the structural integrity of the building, authorities said.

Search efforts were to continue throughout the night to ensure no one is trapped.

“We need to be able to walk out of that building and know definitively that we’ve gotten everybody out,” fire department spokesman Craig Trojacek said.

Construction and renovations were ongoing in the building but it’s not yet known whether that contributed to the explosion, according to the fire department. A representative of the restaurant said, however, that no construction was going on there. The Asian fusion restaurant opened last summer. The restaurant was closed at the time of the explosion and normally opens at 5 p.m. for dinner.

Musume’s co-founder Josh Babb, said in a statement, “All of us at Musume are devastated by the tragic explosion that took place this afternoon at the Sandman Signature Hotel, which is the home of our restaurant. Luckily, Musume was closed during the time of the explosion, so we had no customers dining and limited employees working. Three Musume employees were injured, but are being treated in the hospital and in stable condition.”

Asked whether anyone at the restaurant smelled gas before the explosion, its co-founder wrote in an email: “No, not that we know of, at least at this point.”

Babb wrote that he is not sure of the extent of the damage. “We have not been allowed to go inside or survey damage incurred as the building and site are under investigation.”

The city’s fire department said that people could reunite with their loved ones at the Sundance Square parking lot at Fifth and Throckmorton streets.

Streets surrounding the hotel remained cordoned off Monday night, but authorities said there were no public safety concerns for anyone in the downtown area. Police Chief Neil Noakes said police were looking for an opportunity to allow people to retrieve their vehicles, but that it would depend on when the structure can be deemed sound enough to allow people in the area.

Witnesses described people coming out of the hotel with bloody faces and people on stretchers. People said they had family members in the hotel, and that they were injured. One man, in tears, crossed police tape to get to the other side. Onlookers gathered around him to comfort him, handing him water bottles as more people covered in dust and soot gathered there.

Barbara Jacobs, 58, a resident of the Historic Electric Building Apartments at 410 W. Seventh St., said she normally walks by the building on her way home but “something told her not to.”

“When I heard the boom I was in the middle of the street,” she said. “To see it firsthand, oh my God it was scariest thing I ever seen.”

Kathy Johnson, who lives in a building a half a block from the Sandman, said she and her husband felt the explosion shake the entire street. From their building’s garage, they could see the damage wrought by the explosion: Whole sections of windows blown onto Houston Street, leaving empty frames behind; a hole in the sidewalk on Eighth Street; a covering for a bus stop completely tipped over.

“Just debris everywhere,” Johnson said.

One woman told the Star-Telegram she was in the basement of the A.D. Marshall Public Safety and Courts building, about two blocks from the hotel, when the explosion happened.

“I could feel it,” she said. “It nearly knocked me out of my chair.”

Charlie Collier, 31, was working nearby when he saw a large flash and what sounded like thunder, he told The Associated Press.

“There was debris. There was insulation. There was office furniture,” Collier said. “Everything that was in the first couple floors of the building was blown out all over the street.”

Scores of police, firefighters and other first-responders converged at the scene shortly after the explosion.

“There has been an explosion incident in downtown Fort Worth this afternoon, and every Fort Worth emergency response agency is on hand responding,” Mayor Mattie Parker said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. “... My heart and prayers are with those who were injured as we continue managing response.”

“I am deeply proud of the swift and professional response from our FW and area first responders today,” Parker posted. “I am humbled by the offers from our state leadership to support our city.”

Parker said that the city will work with the building owner to do anything possible to preserve the structure.

Northland Properties Co., the Canadian company that owns the 245-room hotel, said in a statement that it was working with officials to determine how the explosion occurred and how much damage it caused.

“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.”

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said, “The State of Texas is in close contact with Mayor Parker, Sheriff Waybourn, and other local partners and first responders in Fort Worth to assist with emergency response efforts following the tragic explosion at the Sandman Hotel. We continue to monitor the situation and stand ready to immediately deploy any additional personnel and resources needed to keep Texans in the area safe and out of harm’s way. Cecilia and I ask all Texans to pray for those who were injured in the explosion, as well as those bravely responding to keep others safe.”

The Waggoner Building, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was built in 1920.

This is the second Sandman Signature Hotel in the United States; the first was built in 2018 in Plano. The brand is part of Vancouver-based Northland Properties, which is Canada’s largest privately owned hospitality company with hotels and resorts across Canada and, more recently, in the U.K.

The company’s president, Tom Gaglardi, has owned the NHL Dallas Stars hockey club since 2011. He also owns the Texas Stars of the American Hockey League.

Steve Montgomery, CEO of the Fort Worth Chamber, said, “Our thoughts are with the businesses and individuals impacted by today’s events in the heart of Fort Worth. The Chamber stands ready to support our community during this difficult time, offering guidance and resources to our members. The Sandman Signature Hotel, a valued member of the Fort Worth Chamber, has our full support in navigating through these challenging circumstances.”

Elizabeth Beck, the District 9 City Council member, who represents downtown, said, “We’re praying for those who are injured, and know the city of Fort Worth stands by to find out what happened, how it happened and how we can prevent it moving forward.”

“I want our community to know they are safe, and we are doing everything we can to assess the situation as quickly as possible,” Beck said.

Two similar explosions caused destruction and injuries downtown in 1986.

Staff writers Emerson Clarridge, Harrison Mantas, Noah Alcala Bach and Ciara McCarthy contributed to this report.