Twenty-one people were injured in an apparent explosion at a downtown hotel in Fort Worth, Texas, on Monday afternoon, authorities said.
Firefighters initially received calls about a structure fire shortly after 3:30 p.m. at the Sandman Signature Fort Worth Downtown Hotel, and then quickly after received “multiple calls that were coming in that area there was a type of explosion,” said Craig Trojacek, a spokesperson for the Fort Worth Fire Department.
There was a smell of gas in the area, Trojacek said. He didn’t know if that is what prompted the explosion, or if the gas smell was a byproduct of the explosion.
The mayhem appears to have been caused by “some type of gas leak” but that was not confirmed, Trojacek said.
Aerial footage from NBC Dallas-Fort Worth showed what appeared to be sections of wall and parts of window frames blown out of the first and second floors of the building. Debris, including insulation and parts of windows, was scattered on the sidewalk and road.
The number of injuries was revised up to 21 from the initial 11 later in the night.
Of those, one was in critical condition, four were seriously injured and the rest of the injuries were considered minor, officials said.
Trojacek said 26 rooms at the hotel were occupied when the explosion occurred, the station reported. Investigators were going room-to-room to make sure everyone was accounted for at the hotel, he said.
One hotel guest who had been accounted for has been located, the fire department said.
Adam Woods, a valet, told NBC Dallas Fort Worth he saw “smoke everywhere” and was nearby when the explosion rocked the hotel.
“I’m just like baffled because I was literally five seconds from turning down the street, and it was almost like, it could’ve been me.”
Fort Worth police spokesperson Buddy Calzada said a two-block radius near the hotel was blocked off immediately after the explosion to account for everyone.
All Tarrant County offices in downtown Fort Worth were closed after the explosion.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
