Despite the fact that Mike Vanca was staying at the hotel, he was not present when the explosion took place. Even though he was at a neighboring office, he continued to feel the shockwave that was caused by the explosion.
"The building shook like someone slapped the side of it with your hand," Vanca said to KDFW. "So it was very loud and very violent."
The Dallas Morning News said that Wicked Butcher employee Hunter Chacon came downtown immediately after the bomb while first responders were still arriving. About three streets from the hotel, he went toward the ruckus and was stopped.
The 245-room Sandman Signature Fort Worth Downtown Hotel, located one block from the Fort Worth Convention Center in a popular downtown neighborhood, dates to 1920, according to its website. Since 1979, “The Waggoner Building” has been on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Sandman Hotel in Fort Worth said on Monday that it will not be accepting reservations "until further notice" because of the significant damage caused by the explosion.
Although Trojacek stated that a restaurant in the building had been undergoing construction, he did not state that it was certain that this was the location where the explosion took place.
"Gas has been isolated to the affected area, and we will continue to assist the Fort Worth Fire and Police Departments and all officials in support of their investigation," according to Goodspeed.
Following the explosion, Governor Greg Abbott of Texas stated that he had been in communication with local officials and was prepared to "immediately deploy any additional personnel and resources needed to keep Texans in the area safe and out of harm's way."