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GATESVILLE, Texas (KWTX) A construction worker died and 12 others were injured in an explosion Tuesday afternoon in a building under construction at the back of the Coryell Memorial Healthcare System in Gatesville, officials confirmed at a conference of press Tuesday night in Gatesville.
No patients at 1507 West Main St. Hospital were injured, officials said.
Initially, Gatesville Hospital said only four workers had been injured.
Two of the most seriously injured victims were taken to Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, authorities said Tuesday.
Two other hospitals in the region report receiving a total of 13 patients, bringing the total number of injuries to 15.
There was no immediate explanation for the gap.
Nine victims were taken to Scott & White Medical Center in Temple, one of them in a very critical condition with blast injuries and burns, said spokesman Deke Jones.
This patient was immediately taken to surgery.
Six others in critical condition have been stabilized and will be transferred to burn centers in Austin and Houston.
Two others suffered less serious injuries.
Four more were taken to Baylor Scott & White Hillcrest Medical Center in Waco with less serious injuries, Jones said.
Families who think their loved ones have been injured can call the Temple Hospital at 1-888-394-4947 and the Waco Hospital at (254) 202-2000.
The Scott & White Blood Center has extended its hours until 8 pm. Tuesday because of the incident.
County officials have been in touch with the Texas governor's office, and representatives of Texas Sen. John Cornyn and US Representative John Williams, County Judge John Firth said Tuesday night.
Hospital officials asked for prayers from the community.
Power was knocked out in the west side of the city and the hospital was still without electricity early Tuesday night.
The current 12 patients at Gatesville Hospital, which has 25 beds, have been evacuated to other facilities, including Clifton's Goodall Witcher Hospital, several nurses said.
The Oaks at Coryell and the Meadows near Gatesville Hospital, both of which are nursing homes, were also evacuated.
Resettled residents were taken to the First United Methodist Church, a church spokeswoman said.
Gatesville's ISD has provided school buses to transport residents to nursing homes, said Gatesville Superintendent Eric Penrod.
The hospital has called staff on leave to help, spokeswoman Carly Latham said.
The hospital helps patients contact their loved ones, she said.
Firefighters were sent shortly after 2:20 pm Tuesday at the hospital at 1507 West Main St.
Initial reports indicated that the explosion had occurred in a building under construction behind the existing facility that will house a boiler and chillers.
A witness said that a generator exploded and that officials said that a line of natural gas was involved.
A cell phone video showed a cloud of black smoke rising from the hospital grounds after the blast when the first fire crews arrived.
There was electricity in downtown Gatesville and at the Coryell County Courthouse and some traffic lights were dark.
The Gatesville police were only saying that the department was facing a major emergency and would not provide any other details.
There was no other information on what could have happened, but we knew that some streets were closed and one witness said that there was a lot of black smoke visible in the area.
"I've been hit on the head by a fixture, but I'm fine," said a witness who stood near the construction site when the explosion occurred and asked not to not be identified.
"There was an electric generator on the other side of the building and it just exploded and scattered stuff everywhere.
He said that there were others who were injured.
"We have everyone we could get out of the building," he said.
Other construction workers were gathered in front of the hospital.
Brody Bertolini worked at Kalyn Siebert Heavy-Duty Trailers on the other side of Memorial Drive.
He said the workers heard and felt the explosion and that the company lost power.
"I was on Levita's road picking up my dogs when I heard that loud noise and by the time I got up at Memorial Drive there were all kinds of police trucks and firefighters headed out of that." way, "said Gatesville's lawyer.
She lives on Memorial Drive, a short distance north of Coryell Memorial Hospital.
"There is a lot of smoke, a lot of smoke," she said.
A Texas-New Mexico Power Company spokesman said that the blast destroyed electricity in much of the city.
The floor was broken in November 2016 for a major renovation and expansion of the hospital.
The 117,000-square-foot project includes new operating rooms, a new 25-bed hospital wing, administrative offices, a 16-bed rehab facility, and a new powerhouse that houses chillers and refrigerators. boilers.
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