AN explosion at a newly-renovated hotel in downtown Fort Worth has left 21 people injured.
Emergency responders raced to the Sandman Signature Fort Worth Downtown Hotel in Texas at around 3:30 pm on Monday.
Of the 21 victims, rescuers found one person who was critically injured, and four others were said to be seriously hurt.
Emergency services treated 19 people at the scene and 14 of those were rushed to the hospital.
One person took themselves for treatment and officials said they were not aware of any deaths.
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Three of the injured were employees of Musume, the restaurant inside the Sandman Hotel, and they are said to be in stable condition.
Footage from the scene showed the first few floors of the historic hotel reduced to rubble inside, with windows and doors blasted out from their frames, and debris strewn in the street.
Fort Worth Fire Department said it will continue to search through the night for anyone potentially trapped inside.
While the cause of the explosion has not been confirmed, the force noted a strong smell of gas after the blast.
"There is a smell of gas in the area and there were windows and things blown out in the area," Craig Trojacek, public information officer for Fort Worth Fire, said.
"It looks like some type of gas leak but we have not confirmed that at this time.
"We are not sure if the smell of gas was caused by the explosion or if that's what caused the explosion."
On Monday night, Forth Worth Police said, "The Fort Worth Fire Department responded to the structure fire call and it was immediately updated to an explosion call at the same location."
"The Fort Worth Police Department assisted with street closures and clearing out parking garages in the immediate area."
The fire department called Atmos for assistance after noticing the smell of gas.
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There will be an ongoing investigation into the explosion.
HAUNTING SCENE
There were reports of people trapped in the basement but they have now been rescued.
"Several people were extracted from the basement that weren't able to get out on their own," Trojacek said.
Musume was closed at the time of the explosion and there were no diners inside.
"All of us at Musume are devastated by the tragic explosion that took place this afternoon at the Sandman Signature Hotel, which is the home of our restaurant," said Josh Babb, co-founder of Musume.
"Luckily, Musume was closed during the time of the explosion, so we had no customers dining and limited employees working.
"Three Musume employees were injured, but are being treated in the hospital and in stable condition."
The fire department was going room to room to make sure that everyone was out of the hotel, which had just reopened after renovations.
'SOUNDED LIKE AN EARTHQUAKE'
Witnesses described hearing what sounded like an earthquake around the time of the explosion.
“Everything fell, the walls, the floor, everything,” Josè Mira told The Star-Telegram.
Others who were at the site of the explosion were seen with bloody faces and covered in dust.
Immediately after the blast, the owner of the hotel told the fire department that one person was still unaccounted for.
However, Trojacek said that two people who were unaccounted for had both later been found.
A man who was in the hotel during the explosion said there was a smell of natural gas before the explosion.
He remembered asking one of his teammates, “Do you smell natural gas?” he told CBS affiliate KTVT in Fort Worth.
He also said the gas smelled like it came from beneath them.
After smelling the gas, he said the whole second floor of the hotel was filled with dust and smoke.
He had to search for the red exit sign, which then led to the stairwell to exit the hotel.
A valet worker named Adam who was in the area during the explosion referred to the incident as sad and scary.
"The whole first floor, the Sandman Hotel, right next to the garage where we park our cars … it's like, everything is blown up," he told NBC affiliate KXAS in Fort Worth.
"People coming out of the building … it was kinda scary.
"I don't know what to think. I was 3 to 5 seconds from turning down the street. It could have been me.
"I seen a lady, she was walking down that street as well and she got caught up in it. It's very sad."
The fire department opened a family reunification center at Sundance Square for anyone who was searching for a loved one.
"The family reunification area for those who were involved in the downtown incident this afternoon will be at SUNDANCE SQUARE," the fire department said.
"If you are looking for a loved one, please go to Sundance Square (420 Main Street) for more information."
HISTORIC HOTEL
The Sandman Signature Fort Worth Hotel was built in 1920 and is one of the most historic hotels located downtown, according to its website.
Many of the building's original features have been kept inside the hotel.
The 245-room hotel is also recognized as The Waggoner Building as it was originally built for William Thomas Waggoner, the owner of the Waggoner Ranch.
A room in the hotel costs around $160 a night.
