Live Report: Massive Explosion Rocks Fort Worth

Mass Casualties, 20+ injured, In Cowtown

An explosion at the Sandman Hotel in Downtown Fort Worth has inflicted at least 21 casualties in the heart of Cowtown.

There are no reports of fatalities at the time of this writing, however, victims are reported to be in varying conditions in area hospitals.

Eyewitnesses told Cowtown Caller that the explosion came from the inside of the building, and several witnesses complained of trouble breathing immediately after the blast.

Policemen on the scene told the Caller that authorities believed the origin of the explosion was a gas leak.

(One of several live reports Cowtown Caller recorded above or near the blast zone; Recorded 9:01 PM CST)

The Fort Worth Fire Department via Twitter concurred with the policemen the Caller spoke to, although they clarified that a final determination has not been made at this time.

(Photo taken by Cowtown Caller of the 11th reported casualty being lifted into a stretcher by first responders)

(Aerial view of the destruction outside the Sandman Hotel in Downtown Fort Worth)

Early speculation online centered around discussions of terror. Initially, the massive police response helped to drive this claim.

(Armored police units stand guard on the corner outside The Fort Worth Club)

Nearly every law enforcement officer in the city was in Downtown immediately after the blast. The Fort Worth Police Department (including numerous armored officers), the Tarrant County Sheriffs, the ATF, and several cars from the Department of Homeland Security were on streets adjacent to the explosion.

(Helicopters hover above the federal courthouse, across from St. Andrew’s Anglican Church for much of the afternoon, following the explosion at the nearby Sandman Hotel)

The Fort Worth Fire Department had around a dozen fire engines at the scene. There were also countless ambulances and trucks from Atmos and ONCOR (the local electricity providers).

(Several firemen leave the scene of the explosion, adjacent to a fire engine and police cars)

However, there was a strong smell of natural gas that permeated the area for hours after the explosion, lending credence to the accidental natural gas explosion theory.

The smell of gas was (at one point) so strong that a group of policemen briefly pushed their line eastward across Main Street, near the convention center, towards the John F Kennedy memorial.

(Broken glass outside Peters Brothers Hats, several blocks away from the Sandman Hotel)

Destruction was felt several city blocks away from the blast. Local landmarks like Peters Brothers Hats had their front windows blown out.

(Photos of the destruction of the facade of the Sandman Hotel, made available by the Fort Worth Fire Department’s Twitter)

(Destruction outside the Sandman Hotel, made available by the Fort Worth Fire Department’s Twitter)

(ATF agents inspect the blast zone, made available by the Fort Worth Fire Department’s Twitter)

(Picture of the destruction outside the Sandman Hotel, Oncor crews, and ATF agents, made available by the Fort Worth Fire Department’s Twitter)

By 5:50 PM, around two hours after the blast, the police presence was thinning.

By 9 PM the reunification center established by first responders in Sundance Square had closed, indicating the remaining families who had been separated or lost contact because of the blast had been reunited.

At 10 PM all that remained were firefighter and cleanup crews. Cleanup crews appeared to be wrapping up their work for the evening while firemen are expected to keep looking for those who may have been trapped inside the building for the remainder of the evening.

The Fire Department announced there will not be any more announcements till Tuesday morning.

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