21 people injured in explosion at downtown Fort Worth hotel

By Lana Ferguson, Jamie Landers, Sarah Bahari, Sarah Blaskovich and Philip Jankowski

FORT WORTH — Debris blanketed downtown Fort Worth streets Monday afternoon after a suspected gas leak and explosion at a historic hotel injured more than 20 people, officials say.

One person was in critical condition, four were in serious condition and the remaining 16 people suffered minor injuries, according to MedStar spokesperson Matt Zavadsky. No fatalities were reported.

A person who was unaccounted for earlier in the afternoon was later found, and several people had to be extracted from the hotel’s basement, which also features a restaurant, Musume, Fort Worth fire spokesman Craig Trojacek said at a news conference. Twenty-six rooms were occupied in the hotel at the time of the explosion.

The blast occurred about 3:30 p.m. during ongoing construction inside the Asian fusion eatery, Trojacek said, and sparked a small fire.The cause of the explosion has not been confirmed, but officials believe it may have stemmed from a gas leak.

Witnesses, even those blocks away from the building, described a rumble so loud and sudden they thought it was an earthquake. The putrid smell of gas, akin to rotten eggs, lingered in the air long after dozens of patrol cars and firetrucks arrived.

“It was chaos for a minute there,” Trojacek said of the scene when first responders arrived.

Pieces and panels of wood, glass and drywall were strewn across a two-block radius, and a section of a wall ripped from a building was propped up on a tree near the sidewalk, some of its windows still intact. In other places, window frames dangled from outside walls.

The hotel and some surrounding businesses were evacuated, and everyone was accounted for as of 6 p.m., but authorities said they planned to continue their search efforts into the night.

Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement that state officials were staying in close contact with local leaders, partners and first responders to help with emergency response efforts. He said officials were continually monitoring the situation and “stand ready to immediately deploy any additional personnel and resources” to keep residents safe.

”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,” Abbott said.

Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker said her heart and prayers are with those injured, calling the explosion a “heartbreaking incident for the city” and for the recently renovated historic building. The Sandman Signature, which opened in March, is housed within the 20-story W.T. Waggoner Building.

“All of us at Musume are devastated by the tragic explosion that took place this afternoon,” Josh Babb, owner of Musume, said in a statement sent to The Dallas Morning News. “Luckily, Musume was closed during the time of the explosion, so we had no customers dining and limited employees working.”

Babb said three restaurant employees were among those injured, but all three were stable Monday evening.

Hunter Chacon, an employee at nearby Wicked Butcher, said he arrived downtown shortly after the blast as first responders were still racing toward the scene. He ran toward the commotion before he was stopped roughly three blocks from the hotel.

“From there, I could definitely smell the gas,” Chacon said.

At Fairfield Inn & Suites a couple blocks south on Houston, Tracia Davis was busy at the front desk reassuring guests that the hotel was open and directing callers how to navigate around the emergency presence just outside.

”We did worry we would have to evacuate initially, but [officials] came in and said they would not have to,” Davis said.

Davis and her coworker, Maria Cross, took turns checking on the progress outside. Cross said seeing the rubble instantly took her back to a 1989 earthquake she experienced in the San Francisco Bay area.

”I’ve always felt safe in my little city here, not like in the big city where I was when that happened,” she said. “I don’t like this.”

The Sandman Hotel Group is owned by Northland Properties, which has Tom Gaglardi as its CEO. Gaglardi is also owner of the Dallas Stars. A statement from Northland said the company was aware of the blast.

“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 statement read.

Kristin Goodspeed, a spokeswoman for Atmos Energy, said gas was “isolated to the affected area.” Officials from Fort Worth police and fire and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were investigating.