An explosion that rocked downtown Fort Worth's Sandman Signature Hotel on Monday afternoon injured 21 people. The blast, which is believed to have been caused by a gas leak, occurred around 3:30 p.m. and resulted in significant damage, including a "pancaked" first floor that collapsed into the basement, according to FOX 4 News.

Authorities worked into the night dealing with the aftermath of the explosion at the hotel which is situated on Houston Street and West 7th Street near Sundance Square. Fort Worth Fire Chief Jim Davis told the city council that in addition to the critically injured woman who is being treated in the ICU at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, four people sustained serious but non-life-threatening injuries, while others suffered more minor ones. Chief Davis also mentioned that although there were no fatalities, the explosion did cause notable damage to the surrounding roadways, closure of these roads may affect the routes for upcoming parades in the area, as detailed by NBC DFW.

The investigation into the blast's cause is ongoing, as fire department officials have speculated that a gas leak may have been the trigger, but have yet to confirm whether the leak preceded or followed the explosion. Meanwhile, the hotel has been evacuated, all missing persons have been accounted for, and Atmos Energy has cut all gas lines to the building.

Among the witnesses to the explosion were Scot and Angela Cockroft who were in the hotel elevator when the building shook, they initially thought it was a simple malfunction before realizing the severity of the situation; Angela Cockroft described the experience, saying, "Lungs and throat are ... agitated and enflamed, I guess ... from breathing in the smoke and debris," also expressing her relief that the incident was not more tragic. Fort Worth police and firefighters, alongside several other crews including the Dallas ATF field office and Texas A&M Task Force 1, continue to investigate and clean up the site, as per NBC DFW.