- Surveillance video from Thompson’s Bookstore shows a wall of the Sandman Signature Hotel toppling down, with debris flying inside the store
- Employees said they felt the whole building shaking when the blast happened
- At least 12 nearby businesses have shut down and it is unclear when they can reopen
Newly released footage shows the apocalyptic moment a Fort Worth hotel exploded, sending shock waves in the area and destroying nearby shops.
Surveillance video from a store across the street named Thompson’s Bookstore shows the damage the business suffered after an explosion at the Sandman Signature Hotel took out its first two floors and left at least 21 injured.
The blast, which authorities suspect was caused by a gas leak, left two people critically injured and one person’s condition as serious on January 8.
Video from the store shows a yellow flash from the explosion, a hotel wall toppling down into the street and debris filling the air.
At the moment of the blast, a bus is seen driving by the scene.
Video from the store shows a yellow flash from the explosion, a hotel wall toppling down into the street and debris filling the air
The explosion at the Sandman Signature hotel in downtown Fort Worth, Texas left at least 21 people injured
The streets around the hotel are seen strewn with debris
Film recordings from inside the bookstore show Knott reaching for the store’s front door handle at the exact moment it flung open by the blast
Employees Jaden Holbrook and Jessica Knott were present in the store at the time of the disaster.
Holbrook told NBC5: ‘I was on the third floor, and I heard, like, a lot of rumbling and saw a bunch of debris fly up, and then the whole building started shaking.’
Footage shows Holbrook fearfully running inside while the explosion happened.
Film recordings from inside the bookstore show Knott reaching for the store’s front door handle at the exact moment it flung open by the blast.
Debris is seen flying straight through the window inside while Knott rushes inside.
‘I’m okay. It knocked me back a little bit, but I did see the fire come at me. Felt a pressure cloud come through me but luckily we’re all okay,’ she said.
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‘I’m okay. It knocked me back a little bit, but I did see the fire come at me. Felt a pressure cloud come through me but luckily we’re all okay,’ she said
Debris is seen flying straight through the main window and breaking glass
According to the channel, the blast was forceful enough to knock doors off hinges, topple railings and crack walls
At least 12 businesses have reportedly shut down in the area and it is unclear when they will be reopened
According to the channel, the blast was forceful enough to knock doors off hinges, topple railings and crack walls.
At least 12 businesses have reportedly shut down in the area and it is unclear when they will be reopened.
Pictures from the scene show windows blown out and there are reports of a possible floor collapse.
Fort Worth police have advised people in the local area to stay away while emergency personnel continue to assess the scene.
‘We are currently working a Major Incident. Please avoid the downtown area,’ police wrote on X.
‘PIOs are on scene. We will share more details as soon as we can confirm more information.’
The debris was across the road, with windows and door frames hurled to the other side of the street.
Families were told to go to Sundance Square, 200 Fifth Street, right after the blast to reunite with their loved ones.
Pictures from the scene show windows blown out and there are reports of a possible floor collapse
Over two dozen rooms were occupied at the hotel at the time
The hotel, in downtown Fort Worth, is seen before Monday’s explosion
The 245-room hotel is in a 1920s building right in the heart of downtown Fort Worth, and rooms cost around $160 a night.
Craig Trojacek, the Public Information Officer for the fire department, said the first call was at 2:43pm.
‘It looks like some kind of gas leak,’ he said. ‘We are not sure of that. We don’t know if the gas is from the explosion, or caused the explosion.’
He confirmed 11 people had been injured – nine of them taken to hospital – and the hotel owner ‘a little bit ago’ said one person was still unaccounted for. He could not say whether the 11 injured were inside the hotel, or outside.
‘We are still doing a search of the building,’ he said. ‘We are going floor to floor, trying to make sure we’ve got everybody out.
‘We are trying to make sure that when we walk out that building we can definitively say we have everyone out.’
Asked about a partial collapse of the building, he said he could not comment.
Over two dozen rooms were occupied at the hotel at the time, according to the Associated Press.