Fort Worth, TX — January 8, 2024, at least 21 people were injured following a suspected gas leak explosion at the Sandman Signature Hotel in Downtown Fort Worth.

Emergency responders were called at around 3:45 p.m. to the hotel off the corner of Houston Street and West 7th Street.

Currently, the circumstances surrounding the explosion are still under investigation. Officials said that there may have been a gas leak relating to construction that was going on in a restaurant at the property, however nothing has been confirmed at this time.

Due to the explosion, reports currently say up to 21 people were hurt. Of those people, at least nine were taken to the hospital, four with possibly serious injuries. Identities are not available right now. Authorities continue to investigate the factors surrounding the explosion.

The big question on everyone's mind has been, "How did this happen?" Reading between the lines, what people really want is someone to blame. I've seen speculation in the news and on social media looking to point the finger at the hotel, a restaurant in the hotel, the gas company, construction workers, and even terrorists. Based on what's been reported, we can safely rule out the last one. But the sheer amount of speculation shows just how complex this situation is.

What everyone seems to agree on is that a gas leak was most likely behind the explosion. For the sake of discussion, let's assume that turns out to be the case. That doesn't give us anyone to point the finger at, but it does provide a framework to answer the question on most people's minds. It also tells us authorities believe that this was an accident and no one intentionally tried to blow up the building (so we can stop with the terrorism speculation).

With that in mind, we can drill down a little deeper and see that what the public and the victims really need to know is who had control of the gas line where and when the explosion occurred? As a matter of law, the gas mains and lines leading to the meter are under control and responsibility of the gas company. Lines running from the meter into and throughout the building are the responsibility of the building owner. To put it more simply, if part of the gas company's line failed and caused the explosion, they're on the hook. If it's a line in the building, things are more complex.

One would think it would be a simple matter of holding the building owner accountable in the second scenario, but other factors complicate the picture. First, the building was recently remodeled. There is no word on if the gas lines were part of that process or if some of the work may have damaged a line. If the line was leaking because of something that happened in the remodel, the contractors may also be on the hook. To blur things even more, several news outlets are reporting that the explosion may have originated in a restaurant that leases space in the building. Was there something that restaurant did or didn't do that caused this, or was the explosion beyond their control? We just don't know yet.

And not to muddy the waters even more, but no one has even talked about the gas lines' manufacturer. Was the failure the result of some kind of defect? That's something the investigation should look into and determine one way or another.

Perhaps most frustrating of all is the possibility that the investigation doesn't find one clear-cut "bad guy" but that the behavior of several entities contributed to the explosion. And this is just the investigation portion of this incident. We haven't even discussed what any of this means for the victims. Who are they supposed to hold accountable, and how will they do that?

It wouldn't surprise me if all of the parties that may be to blame for this issue stone-cold denials of responsibility or point the finger at someone else, at least until the investigation concludes. I suspect that's going to be the part of the story the press is less interested in. After events such as these, it's often the case that once the initial panic subsides and the investigation provides an explanation that satisfies the public, people go about their lives. Meanwhile, those injured end up with a long fight on their hands to hold someone accountable.

While we're all anxious to know what happened, we're going to have accept the complexity of Monday's explosion in Fort Worth and wait for the professionals to provide an explanation. But once that part is done, it's important that we not lose sight of the fact that it's not the end of the story for those injured in the blast. They're the ones who face an even longer struggle.