Fort Worth Hotel Explosion Videos: Cause of Blast Is Gas Leak

Fort Worth hotel explosion videos show the aftermath of the blast that injured at least 11 people on January 8 and sent debris tumbling into the Texas sidewalk.

The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives says the explosion was “caused by a natural gas leak,” according to NBC Dallas-Fort Worth. The Fire Department confirmed that there was a gas leak at the hotel, but initially said fire officials had not confirmed that this was the cause.

The Fort Worth Fire Department wrote in a statement on X that the 3:30 p.m. explosion occurred at the Sandman Hotel, 810 Houston St. According to the Fire Department, one person is “critical” and two people are “serious.” One person is still missing, the department’s initial statement said.

In a later news conference, fire officials said that one person may still be “unaccounted for.” Nine of the victims were taken to the hospital. Most have minor injuries, officials said.

You can watch videos of the blast scene throughout this article.

“Something blew clean out the front door,” a man said in one video. “Dude, that was a h*** of an explosion. Oh sh**, look at the parking lot. It’s their sh** blown all over the parking lot.”

Here’s what you need to know:

Other Videos Showed Debris Spilling Out From the Hotel

Videos showed debris spilling out. “Part of that building is blown out,” a man said in the video. “There’s somebody sitting down next to the streetlight down here too.”

The Sandman Signature Fort Worth Downtown Hotel is located in a building that dates to the 1920s. “If you’re looking for a unique hotel in Dallas Fort Worth, look no further! Our 245-room, heritage building on Houston Street is known as ‘The Waggoner Building’ and was completed in 1920,” its website says.

“It was originally built for William Thomas Waggoner, owner of the Waggoner Ranch, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This makes it one of the most historic hotels in Dallas Fort Worth and we’ve honoured the building’s past by retaining many of the original features for you to observe and enjoy during your stay.”

Police said in a news conference that they shut off a two-block radius. “That will move as necessary.”

“We are trying to keep this area just as safe as we possibly can,” police said.

The Blast ‘Blew Out at Least 2 Floors’ of the Historic Hotel

According to NBC Dallas, the explosion “blew out at least two floors of a high-rise hotel in downtown Fort Worth.”

The Fire Department wrote that there “is a gas leak in part with this incident but can’t confirm it caused explosion.”

“FD extinguishing fire/evacuating building,” they wrote. However, again, the ATF later said the cause had been confirmed as the gas leak.

“There is a smell of gas here in downtown. We’re not sure if the smell of gas was caused from the explosion and the fire itself or if that’s what caused the explosion. But that’s what we’re looking at,” said Craig Trojacek with the Fort Worth Fire Department, to NBC Dallas-Fort Worth.

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