Fort Worth hotel explosion cleanup underway; guests allowed to retrieve belongings
FORT WORTH, Texas - The Sandman Hotel in downtown Fort Worth will be boarded up Wednesday and crews will begin working to clean up the debris caused by a massive explosion.
Two days after the hotel explosion in Downtown Fort Worth, there is still no clear reason why it happened.
Now, alternate plans are being made for upcoming parades that would have been near the hotel.
Emergency crews finished their search for potential victims on Tuesday afternoon, but there’s still the cleanup process.
Source: Fort Worth Fire
Fort Worth Fire Chief Jim Davis said he believes it stemmed from a gas issue, though he was unaware of any calls to 911 about problems near the hotel before the explosion. He also said that despite some witness accounts, no one reported smelling gas before.
Gas supplier Atmos Energy, under the jurisdiction of the Texas Railroad Commission, continues testing gas lines around the Sandman Signature Hotel for any issues that may shed light on Monday’s explosion.
That process is being monitored on a federal level by the National Transportation Safety Board.
Simultaneously, Fort Worth Fire and other local officials conduct a separate probe inside the hotel.
All of it in the effort to determine if a gas leak caused or resulted from the violent blast that injured 21 people.
The first two floors of the hotel collapsed during the incident, trapping people below.
Fort Worth Hotel Explosion: Concrete from first floor 'pancaked' basement, officials say
Fort Worth fire and utility crews worked through the night at the historic Sandman Hotel. They continued their investigation into the cause of a powerful blast that injured 21 people.
A total of 21 people were injured. Most had minor injuries, but one woman remains in the Parkland Hospital burn unit with critical injuries.
Chief Davis said the city’s structural engineers have marked the area safe from additional collapse, allowing crews to begin clearing the debris.
"As we remove debris, we want to make sure that as we alter the debris field, we’re not creating additional opportunities for collapse and injury to our folks," he said.
The chief also said it is important for people to call 911 or the gas company if they smell gas or rotten eggs.
Hotel guests retrieve their belongings
People staying in the hotel who rushed to vacate the building after the blast will be allowed to reclaim their belongings on Wednesday.
Firefighters retrieved personal items from the 28 rooms that had been occupied.
The Sandman Hotel will work to reunite guests with their property at the Zipper Building on 13th Street.
Guests have already been allowed to retrieve their cars, which were parked in a lot next to the building.
Some of those cars had blown out windows or were damaged by falling debris.
Changes to upcoming parade routes
Saturday’s annual Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo parade now has an adjusted route. The deviation will accommodate the ongoing investigation downtown.
"The parade will go down Main Street just like it does every year," explained communications manager Matt Brockman. "And when it gets down to 9th Street, I believe rather than making a right turn and coming back up Houston Street, it’s going to take a left turn and come up Commerce Street."
Changes are also expected with the parade route for the city's Martin Luther King Jr. Day event on Monday. With both parades, emergency personnel will be on hand to keep viewers out of the restricted investigation area.