Anyone else hear about this yet? Noticed a power blip in my downtown office about an hour ago and just got this email from building services:

Quote:

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We have experienced two power interruptions in the last hour. Both interruptions have been caused by an explosion and subsequent fire at the Whitehall Hotel, on Smith Street. Additionally, a second explosion occurred, causing additional damage. The Houston Police Department and the Houston Fire Department are on scene and investigating.

The two explosions caused rolling blackouts in the downtown Houston area, and the power outages felt at One Allen Center were the result of those blackouts. While the extent of the damage is not yet known, it is possible that there may be additional outages as electrical circuits are rerouted and reswitched.

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edit, found a live link
https://www.click2houston.com/news/at-least-1-injured-after-witnesses-report-explosion-fire-in-downtown-houston

Was walking by right as the first trucks were responding. Have one pretty good picture. Saw a guy with severe burns get wheeled out on a gurney. Overheard someone else say that it started with someone trying to install a motor that exploded.

Walked over and took a few pics... don't know if I've ever seen so many emergency response vehicles in one place before. Evidently there were 2 explosions, but I only heard one. No confirmed deaths yet, but several injuries.

saw an interview with the deputy fire chief who said the 3 people found were electrical contractors working on installing a new panel. 1 was injured badly enough to be taken by ambulance lights and sirens to the hospital, one had a minor injury to his hand, and the 3rd was unharmed. My assumption is a gas leak combined with a spark from the electrical work.