At least 21 people were injured in an explosion "likely caused" by a gas leak at a hotel in downtown Fort Worth on Monday afternoon, fire officials say.
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The incident happened at about 3:30 p.m. at the Sandman Signature Fort Worth Downtown Hotel at the corner of W. 8th and Houston Streets.
The one person who was missing is now found as the Fort Worth Fire Department gave an update. Firefighters did a second pass-through of the building.
One person is in critical condition, four have serious injuries, one person went to the hospital by themselves, and the rest are injured. No fatalities were recorded.
Officials said the explosion was likely caused by a gas leak, but they were waiting to confirm that detail. They are calling this a mass casualty incident.
Tarrant County tweeted that all county offices were closed for the day following the explosion. The family reunification area is in a parking lot at the corner of 5th and Throckmorton streets, according to the Fort Worth Police Department.
Police and fire officials asked the public to avoid the area. They were still working to determine what caused the explosion.
"I was getting cash at the Frost Bank, and I heard something that appeared to sound like thunder or a very, very loud explosion that shook the glass," one bystander told KRLD. "Then I saw a bit of smoke toward the convention center area, and that's all that I really know."
Video from KRLD's media partner NBC 5 News showed debris strewn across downtown streets. Windows on the first and second floors of the building appeared to be blown out.
"We were all just really minding our own business, and then we felt the entire building just shake violently, and our neon signs in the front were about to fall off," another bystander said. "And then we ran outside and it's like you couldn't see the other side of the street. It's just covered in smoke, covered in dust."
This is a developing story, check back for updates.
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