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 afterward received “multiple calls that were coming in that area there was a type of explosion,” said Craig Trojacek, a Fort Worth fire spokesperson.
There was a smell of gas in the area, Trojacek said. He didn’t know whether that is what prompted the explosion or whether 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, he said.
Aerial video 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 to 21 from the initial 11 later in the night. As of 7 a.m. Tuesday, no additional victims had been found, authorities said.
Of those, one was in critical condition and four were seriously injured, and the rest of the injuries were considered minor, officials said.
Trojacek said 26 rooms were occupied when the explosion occurred, the station reported. Investigators were going room to room to make sure everyone was accounted-for, he said.
A hotel guest who had been unaccounted-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.”
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.
