OAN’s Abril Elfi
12:25 PM – Tuesday, January 9, 2024
At least 21 people have been injured in an explosion at the Sandman Signature Fort Worth Downtown Hotel in Texas.
Officer Jimmy Pollozani with the Fort Worth Police Department spoke to the press on Tuesday and explained that the area surrounding the hotel remains closed to the public, as officials investigate the cause of the explosion.
“This is considered the actual immediate hot zone,” said Pollozani. “We’re asking the community to stay away from this area.”
At least 21 people were injured in the blast that occurred on Monday, with one in critical condition.
Pollozani stated that no one has been found in the rubble on Tuesday morning and that there have been no updates on the condition of those injured.
“Search and rescue operations occurred through the night and continue this morning with specially trained canines,” the Fort Worth Fire Department posted on X. “At this time, no additional victims have been located.”
According to Pollozani, firefighters’ primary task on Tuesday was to remove the wreckage from the structure so that it could be more closely examined.
“They’re inside right now, one wheelbarrow at a time, trying to collect all the debris and bring it all outside systematically,” he stated.
Fort Worth Fire Department spokesperson Craig Trojacek said that fire officials suspect that “some type of gas explosion” caused the blast, but they are still collaborating with the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives in order to confirm the cause.
“Early reports indicated the blast might have happened in a restaurant where construction was underway, but we’re not 100% sure that that’s where it actually started,” Trojack said.
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