At least 21 injured after explosion rocks hotel in Fort Worth, Texas

Jan. 8 (UPI) -- An explosion at a newly remodeled hotel in downtown Fort Worth, Texas, on Monday injured at least 21 people as fire officials continue to comb through an evacuated two-block area littered with debris and investigators look into possible causes, including natural gas.

"There is a smell of gas here downtown. We're not sure if the smell of gas was caused from the explosion and the fire itself or if that's what caused the explosion. But that's what we're looking at," Craig Trojacek, with the Fort Worth Fire Department, told reporters.

While the department said a gas leak likely is the cause of the blast that blew out windows on the first and second floors of the 20-story Sandman Signature Fort Worth Downtown Hotel, the cause remains undetermined as of Monday night.

Of the injured, one was in critical condition and four others were in serious condition. A person who was reported missing shortly after the blast was later located alive, the Fort Worth Fire Department reported in a social media update.

The 102-year-old building, which had been renovated in the last year, was undergoing structural assessments. A March 2023 post by Sandman Hotel Group said their team was "excited to open" and "welcome guests to our iconic new hotel located in a historic site."

According to officials, there were 26 rooms that were occupied by guests at the time of the blast. Officials established a family reunification center at a nearby parking lot.

Photos and video posted on social media showed windows and doors blown out of the first floor of the multi-story structure, with debris littering the street and smoke rising from the building.

Police quickly closed a two-block radius around the hotel to traffic.

Resident David Brymer told WFAA-TV he felt the explosion around 3:20 p.m., local time, from eight blocks away.

It shook my bed," he said, adding, "You could smell the gas in the air. I thought it was an earthquake."

Josè Mira, 49, who works at the Musume restaurant in the hotel, said the explosion appeared to be in the kitchen.

"Everything fell, the walls, the floor, everything," Mira said. "It's a miracle I'm alive."

The hotel has issued a statement, saying it is working with first responders to help those who were injured in the explosion.

"Emergency responders are onsite and we are working closely with the authorities to understand the origin of the event and the extent of the harm caused," the hotel said in a statement. "The safety and well-being of our team members and guests is our priority. We are working with those who have been injured to fully support them at this time."