FORT WORTH, Texas – Investigators are looking into the cause of an explosion at a downtown Fort Worth hotel on Monday, with fire officials suggesting that a gas leak may be responsible. According to data from the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, there have been over 3,000 significant gas leak incidents since 2010, resulting in numerous explosions, injuries, and fatalities.
Abe Scarr, director of energy and utility for the Public Interest Research Group, believes that aging infrastructure in cities across the country is a contributing factor to the frequency of these incidents. In 2018, gas leaks in northwest Dallas led to two home explosions, prompting the replacement of old gas lines with new, flexible plastic ones by Atmos Energy.
Federal data shows that 20% of major gas leaks are due to corrosion and equipment failure, while the remaining 80% result from outside factors. These outside factors were responsible for an explosion in downtown Dallas in 2017 when a gas line was ruptured by construction crews, as well as an explosion in Mansfield in 2022 caused by a car hitting a natural gas pipeline.
It is still unclear what caused the explosion at the downtown Fort Worth hotel. Experts emphasize that these incidents are not isolated, and without appropriate measures, they may continue to occur at a similar level or even increase in the future. In addition to updating pipeline infrastructure, Scarr suggests transitioning to clean energy in homes and businesses to reduce the risk of natural gas fires.
The explosion in downtown Fort Worth serves as a reminder of the potential dangers posed by gas leaks and the importance of addressing aging infrastructure and transitioning to cleaner energy sources. With the investigation ongoing, it is crucial for authorities to take the necessary steps to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future.