FORT WORTH, Texas — Downtown Fort Worth was in chaos following an explosion at the Sandman Signature Fort Worth Downtown Hotel on Monday afternoon, which has resulted in 21 known injuries so far.
Officials say they believe the explosion happened in the restaurant inside the hotel, Musume. Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker said the building had just recently been renovated and reopened, but the history of the hotel actually extends back more than a century.
The hotel is located in the W.T. Waggoner Building, which opened on March 8, 1920. The building was at one time the tallest building in the State of Texas and the whole Southwest U.S. It was built, and named after, William Thomas Waggoner, who owned the largest ranch in Texas under one fence -- the Waggoner Ranch.
Marble, white brick, and terracotta make up the 20 stories of the building. When it first opened, the National Bank of Commerce occupied the lobby until 1957 when it merged to become the Continental National Bank.
The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 10, 1979, and was restored in 1985 to become home to XTO Energy, who stayed in the building until 2018.
Northland Properties first announced they would open the Sandman Signature Fort Worth Downtown Hotel in the building in 2019. It opened in April 2023.
WFAA reached out to the hotel owner, Northland Properties, for its response to the lawsuits now filed against them.
We appreciate the ongoing concern for those impacted by the incident in Fort Worth. Our focus remains on supporting our team and those who are recovering. Senior executives have traveled to Fort Worth to help our local management. We have been in contact with everyone on our team during this difficult time, and we remain available for them.
We are holding regular meetings with our team members to provide updates, extend ongoing counseling services, and address their concerns. We have also submitted Workers Compensation forms for all those who were hurt during the incident and relevant information has been shared with all team members. Team members continue to be compensated while we gain a better understanding of our operations moving forward.
We continue to cooperate with the investigation of the incident, however, we will not be commenting further on the specific assistance that we are providing as this is a confidential legal matter and we respect the privacy of those involved.
We are grateful for the display of community spirit and resilience shown by our neighbors in Downtown Fort Worth. We would again also like to thank the community, first responders, local officials, the city and council, and the state for their support since the events occurred.