Explosion at historic Texas hotel injures 21 and scatters debris in downtown Fort Worth

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Authorities say an explosion at a historic Texas hotel on Monday (Jan. 8, 2024) injured 21 people and trapped some in the basement before they were found by rescue crews. One person was in critical condition. Fort Worth Fire Department spokesman Craig Trojacek says investigators are confident the blast was “some kind of gas explosion.” He says the blast flung doors and entire sections of wall onto the road in front of the 20-story hotel, where rescue crews found several people trapped in the basement. The Sandman Signature in the heart of downtown Fort Worth was undergoing construction. The hotel is in a busy area of downtown about one block from the Fort Worth Convention Center.