FORT WORTH, Texas — Twenty-one people were injured in an explosion at a downtown Fort Worth hotel on Monday afternoon, officials said.
There have been no confirmed fatalities, according to officials.
Tuesday morning a FEMA engineer was sent to inspect the building. During the inspection, the agency sent their cadaver dogs inside and around the building to search for any victims that could have been trapped in the rubble.
"Search and rescue operations occurred through the night and continued this morning with specifically trained canines. At this time, no additional victims have been located," the City of Fort Worth said in a statement to WFAA.
No one has been reported missing, but officials say it's important to search and secure the building during an incident of this magnitude.
Fort Worth Fire Chief Jim Davis said during a press conference on Tuesday evening that the decision was made to bring the State of Texas in to provide aid to ensure the structure won't collapse and to bring in cadaver dogs to make sure no one else was trapped under the debris.
"That search concluded this afternoon, an hour ago, and we can confidently say we have no reports of anybody missing at this point," Davis said.
Davis said they are working on figuring out what the next step is but that the area is expected to be closed for the next several days.
Also, Davis said that there was no purposeful intent to cause harm behind the explosion, but it still remains to be determined what could have caused it. There is the gas element, but Davis said it's unclear whether the gas or explosion came first.
Fort Worth Fire Department Public Information Officer Craig Trojacek said during a press conference that officers received a structure fire call at 810 Houston St. at 3:32 p.m., where the Sandman Signature Fort Worth Downtown Hotel is located. After that, they received multiple calls about a type of explosion.
Trojacek said they were investigating to confirm if there was a gas leak as a strong smell of gas was reported downtown. But it's unclear if the smell was caused by the explosion itself or if it caused the explosion. He also said there were reports the explosion started in the restaurant of the hotel, Musume, and that there was some construction being done at the restaurant, but FWFD was not 100% sure where the explosion started at this time.
FWFD officials said in a tweet that that explosion was likely caused by a gas leak but are still waiting to confirm. Police said they closed off a two-block radius around the hotel.
On Thursday afternoon police opened a portion of W. 7th Street between Throckmorton and Houston Street.
Of the patients, only one was critical, four had serious injuries, and the rest suffered minor injuries. One hotel employee was missing but was later found, police said. However, during their search for the employee, police also found another person amongst the debris.
All of the victims, Davis said, are believed to be adults, with no children involved. The majority of the injuries are strains, lacerations, and eye injuries, with the most serious injuries being concussion-related caused by the blast.
Tuesday evening JPS Health provided an update on the patients they treated.
"One patient was transferred to Parkland for major burns. Two patients were admitted for their injuries here, and four were treated and released. We send our hopes and well wishes to the victims and their families," JPS Health said in a statement.
Search-and-rescue operations continued through Monday night and Tuesday morning with specially trained canines. As of 7 a.m. Tuesday, no additional victims were located.
The Fort Worth Fire Department released photos of the search-and-rescue efforts on Tuesday morning:
In an update on Tuesday, Fort Worth police said street closures were put into place along Houston Street from Seventh Street to Ninth Street, along Throckmorton Street from Seventh Street to Ninth Street, and along Eighth Street from Houston Street to Main Street.
Police determined this area as the "hot zone" and asked the public to avoid this area. This area will be shut down for days, according to FWPD. Police have set up a hotline for anyone who works in the immediate area to call for more information: (817)392-8866.
Fort Worth police said they're working closely with the officials of the Fort Worth Stock Show parade and the MLK Day parade to best ensure everyone is safe for those events.
Atmos Energy also responded and released a statement saying their technicians responded to a call at the building at the request of FWFD.
"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," Atmos said in a statement.
The Texas Railroad Commission, which regulates oil and gas in Texas, also said in a statement they were sending an inspector to the scene of the explosion to investigate.
Hotel officials on Wednesday said in a statement that authorities were still investigating the cause of 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 statement from the Sandman said. "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."
Mayor Mattie Parker said during a press conference on Monday that the building had just been recently renovated and reopened.
"It's heartbreaking for Downtown Fort Worth, of course," Parker said. "Our hearts and prayers are with the victims at area hospitals."
David Brymer lives eight blocks away from the hotel and said he was in bed when the explosion went off.
"It shook my bed," Brymer said.
He said he then made his way toward the site and could hear sirens nonstop.
"You could smell the gas in the air," Brymer said. "I thought it was an earthquake."
Guests who are staying at the Sandman Hotel are told to collect their belongings at the Zipper building located at 275 13th St.
Go to the bay door on the West (Monroe St) side of the building. It will be open until 10 p.m. on Tuesday and reopens Wednesday at 7 a.m.
Brymer said he didn't hear anything, just felt a strong shake.
"I hope the building doesn't fall and hope everyone's OK," Brymer said.
Josh Babb, the co-founder of Musume, said all of the restaurants were devastated by the explosion at the hotel, the home of their restaurant.
"Luckily, Musume was closed during the time of the explosion, so we had no customers dining and limited employees working," Babb said in a statement.
Three Musume employees were injured, Babb said, but were being treated at a hospital and in stable condition.